Behind the veil
by imstormborn
Summary: Klaus and Caroline just got married, and their future seems bright. But everything will change when Caroline will find out the dark secrets of her husband's past. What happens when the man you married turns out to be a serial killer? AU/DARK KLAUS/WARNINGS INSIDE
1. I chapter

**Warnings: the following story contains explicit and violent content. Don't read if you can't handle. **

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><p><strong>Behind the veil<strong>

_I_

The day Caroline had been waiting for since she had realized she was madly in love with the man of her dreams had finally come.  
>It was the day of her marriage. Unlike many other women of her age, she had never tried to imagine how her marriage would be. Even as a child, Caroline had always been busy and way too ambitious to think about her love life. Career – she was a lawyer – had been the only thing she had been caring about, until she had met him: Klaus. He had changed her in many ways, and none of them were negative. Klaus Mikaelson was the most caring fiancé Caroline could ask for. He always treated her as a Queen, and he never missed the chance to surprise her. Although her friends and family didn't see in Klaus what Caroline saw, she never let anyone else's thoughts interfere with her own beliefs.<p>

Klaus was a mysterious man, and not even Caroline could deny it. He didn't like speaking about himself, and truth to be told even his future wife knew little about his past. He had no family. He said he had lost his parents when he was just a child, and he had been raised in an orphanage. Caroline never asked him to talk about his childhood, because she knew how painful it was for him to remember those dark days. When she did ask questions, Klaus always found a way to draw her attention on something else. He told her she was the sun of his days and the moon of his nights, and talking about his years without sun and moon wasn't worth it.

He was an artist, and he was so different from Caroline, a pragmatic twenty-five year old girl who was a total mess when it came to drawing and painting. Klaus was thirty, and he believed he was old enough to start a family. Now that they had financial stability, they could start thinking about a solid future.

"Is the veil really necessary?" Caroline asked, looking at her reflection through the mirror, while her bridesmaids fixed her beautiful, white wedding dress. The lace created refined floral embroidery. With her blonde, waved locks hung over her shoulders she looked just like a Princess from a Disney movie.

"What's your problem with the veil?" One of her bridesmaids, Elena, asked in a giggle. Caroline sighed, and once again she tried to fix the veil, which was perfectly placed over her white flowers crown.

"Caroline! You'll ruin your hair!" Bonnie scolded her, and she took both her hands, to stop her fingers from ruining her work. She herself had taken care of Caroline's hair, since she was a professional hair stylist and make-up artist.

"I'm nervous, girls!" Caroline complained, whining about the whole tense situation. "Gosh, we're so late! Can you see the guests from the window?" She asked. They were actually a little late, because Caroline was a perfectionist, and she couldn't show up at her own wedding without checking every single detail of her image. Bonnie looked outside the window, and she saw the guests sitting on the white chairs they had placed in the beautiful garden of the gothic castle they had chosen as location.

"Ehm… Just a few of them, Care." Bonnie said. Caroline didn't believe her, and while Elena was fixing the last details of her dress, she walked toward the window and she looked through the glass.

"Seriously? A few of them? Everything is ready! They're waiting for me!" She complained in a state of deep anxiety. As her eyes saw her future husband waiting for her by the altar, a sweet smile showed up on her face. "Look, there's Klaus…" Suddenly, she appeared calm and lost. As the tradition wanted, she hadn't seen Klaus for three days, and she missed him as she missed air when she was underwater.

"Yes, and he's waiting for you! C'mon, Caroline, put your shoes on." Bonnie took her hand, and Elena helped her pulling her away from the window. Caroline wore her white shoes, and she noticed how much they hurt her feet. She already knew she would take them off before the wedding dinner started.

"How do I look?" She asked to her bridesmaids. Bonnie and Elena smiled, genuinely excited for their best friend.

"You're stunning, Care." Elena said. Bonnie almost became teary eyed, but she stopped herself from crying and the three of them laughed.

"You deserve to be happy." Bonnie admitted. Caroline smiled, moved by her words.

"Group hug?" She proposed. As they hugged, she immediately got worried about her make up. "Don't ruin my make up!" She made Bonnie and Elena laugh. They weren't surprise Caroline's perfectionism interrupted the touching moment. Caroline took her bouquet of red roses, and she climbed down the stairs till she reached her mother, who was waiting for her to accompany her down the aisle to the altar. Usually, that was a father's duty and honor. Caroline's father had died a few months before she had met Klaus, and somehow she knew he would be so jealous of his future son in law. Sometimes she wondered if he would like Klaus as husband for his daughter. Caroline hugged her mother, who tried to hold back the tears, failing in the attempt. Liz didn't think Klaus was the perfect man for Caroline. She found him sneaky. But he made Caroline happy, and she knew she had to accept him.

Walking down the aisle, Caroline felt her heart beating fast. She was a lawyer, she was a confident woman, and she often found herself speaking in public before the court. She was resolute, and not shy. But the sensation she was feeling was terribly new to her, and for a moment she thought she couldn't handle the storm of emotions that hit her body and soul. Klaus was standing before the altar, dressed in a black suit, and he gave his back at Caroline till she got halfway from him. As he turned to give her the eyes, they both smiled to each other. He looked dangerously handsome and extremely noble in his suit. Black was his color, even though his skin was pale and his hair was golden. He waited for Caroline with his hands joined, till Liz gave him his bride's hand. Klaus gave his mother in law one of his sly smiles, and Liz tried not to appear annoyed by his weirdness. Caroline smiled again, getting lost in the grey of his eyes. As they both turned their backs at the guests, Klaus got closer to her ear.

"You're an angel, love." He whispered in a low and deep tone of voice. Caroline loved his voice, and his British accent that got her dazed every time. She giggled, looking down while her cheeks blushed. Klaus proudly observed his sweet bride getting flattered by his genuine compliment. The priest started his sermon. Klaus had insisted to have a religious ceremony, because, apparently, he was also a devoted catholic. Caroline had never seen him attending Mass, but he had started being quite obsessed with the whole religious thing as they had decided to get married. Sometimes, he was really weird, and Caroline couldn't deny it. She'd rather ignore his oddity, just to pretend he was a perfect, ordinary man. When they finally pronounced they vows, the priest declared them husband and wife. Klaus kissed his bride, he did it intensely, making her think about how passionate their wedding night would be. Sometimes, Klaus was truly insatiable.

Elena and Bonnie clapped louder than anyone else, they both smiled to their men: Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Right. They loved two brothers. Stefan and Elena had been knowing each other since high school, they were married, and had two kids: Matthew, who was four, and the new born Rosie. Damon and Bonnie had met each other thanks to Stefan and Elena during a party, and they had been hanging out for a year now.

When Caroline threw her bouquet of roses, it ended up in Bonnie's hands. The brunette girl laughed, and she looked at Damon, who, on the other hand, pretended to hide himself behind his brother Stefan.

Before dinner, Klaus stood up and got everybody's attention by hitting a fork against a glass.

"What are you doing?" Caroline giggled.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?" Klaus started his speech.  
>"I'll try to make it short, since my beautiful wife is quite hungry." He teased her, and Caroline showed him a little, naughty smile while the guests laughed.<br>"I'd rather not to make her go mad before our wedding night." Klaus joked again, and Caroline covered her face with her hands, blushing. She would never understand how he could be so cheeky in front to all those people.  
>"What I would like to say before all of you is that this woman saved me from a future as much dark as my past. She gave me a chance when life was denying me the privilege of being and feeling like a human. Unlike you, sweetheart, sometimes I'm not easy to love, and I will never stop thanking you for being caring and patient to me. You are the family I've never had." He finished, looking Caroline in the eyes, hers were brighter because of the tears she was holding back. As Klaus stopped talking, she stood up and she threw her arms around his neck to hug him, making everyone's heart melt.<p>

"I love you." She whispered to his ear, and she closed her eyes, breathing his perfume.

They ate dinner pretty far from the other guests, around their private table. Every now and then Klaus put his hand on Caroline's one. They told each other sweet words, and they joked about many people's outfit. Caroline was highly critical when it came to style. After dinner, Klaus got closer to Caroline's chair, and he extended his hand toward her.

"May I invite my wife to join me on the dance floor?" He asked her. Caroline gladly accepted the proposal. They danced together under the slow notes of Caroline's favorite song: Iron and wine – such great heights. She lay her head on Klaus' shoulder, while the fingers of their hands perfectly crossed. Everything looked so perfect to her. Too perfect to be real.  
>Their bodies moved slowly, fitting one against the other, as one only body that had been divided, but was destined to remain united. Klaus didn't move his right hand from Caroline's back, and he enjoyed those moments of peace. When the song became slower and slower, before the end, he made Caroline turn in a slow twist. She smiled, till she put her hands back on his large shoulders. She stole from him an innocent kiss. Klaus tried to get another one, showing his persistence.<p>

"Wait till tonight." She teased him, speaking softly against his lips.

"You can't do this to me." Klaus smiled, enjoying, somehow, the suffering of the waiting.

"Oh yes, I can." She replied, giggling. "Save your strengths, because you won't have time to sleep." She kept provoking him. After all, they had been far from each other for three whole days.

"Klaus, Caroline…" Elena interrupted them, right after the song ended. Bonnie was right by her side, along with Damon and Stefan. "We just wanted to tell you guys that we're all really happy for you, and…" She stopped, to turn toward Bonnie, looking for her help.

"And we would like to apologize to you, Klaus. We know we haven't been always friendly toward you in the past years. We were just really worried for Caroline, and we wanted to make sure you were a good guy." Bonnie explained.

"We don't want to have any problem with you anymore, mate." Damon added.

"No resentment." Stefan nodded. A little smirk showed up on Klaus' face, after he had been terribly serious all along.

"Of course, of course. No resentment. From now on, we'll be all like one big family." He exclaimed, and he put his hands on Stefan's and Damon's shoulder. Even when he tried to play nice, nobody could really know if he was being serious, or he was just fooling you. Caroline didn't mind Klaus' behavior, because she had gotten used to it, and when Klaus said kind words to her friends, she couldn't even doubt about his honesty. She was just very proud of him.

When the majority of the guests left, and the other part was too drunk to realize the newlyweds were missing, Klaus and Caroline sneaked off in their private suite. Klaus had made sure petals of red rose were all around the bed and the floor. He took Caroline in his arms, holding her while they got through the entrance door. They had been laughing all along, maybe because of the few glasses of alcohol they had drunk. Klaus shut the door by using his feet, since his hands were rather busy.

"You can drop me now!" Caroline giggled, and Klaus did as she told him. As the bride put her feet on the floor, she walked around. The beautiful suite was adorned by petals and perfumed candles that gave a romantic atmosphere to the place. "It's magical." She said. As much as he was content with the room, Klaus cared only about Caroline. He walked closer to his wife, surrounding her body with his arms, and holding her tightly. Caroline's back touched Klaus' chest, and the girl closed her eyes as he kiss the soft skin of her neck.

"You, my love, promised me a night of wild sex." He reminded her, whispering those words to her ear.

"How romantic, Klaus!" Caroline said in a sarcastic tone, placing her hands on his arms that surrounded her lap. Klaus kept kissing her neck, and when his hands grabbed the long, large gown of her pure wedding dress he pulled it up, leaving her legs uncovered. He touched her between her legs for a while, from outside her lace, white panties. Caroline threw her hands behind Klaus' head, caressing his golden curls with her eyes closed.

"Help me get out of this damn dress." She whispered, impatient to begin. Klaus undid the laces behind her back, and the dress easily slipped along her thin, feminine body. As he grabbed her hips, in order to turn her and put his eyes on her breasts still hidden beneath her small bra, Caroline sighed a little, aroused by Klaus' impatience. Then, suddenly, she felt something warm between her legs. Klaus was kissing her chest and touching her back slowly, but Caroline put her hands on his shoulders to invite him to take a step back. "Wait." She whispered.

"What is it?" He asked, confused. Caroline touched her groin, and she felt a warm liquid on the tip of her fingers. When her eyes saw the blood, she found it hard to believe.

"Fuck!" She shouted. "I'm… I'm on my period." She couldn't believe she was so damn out of luck. How many women spent their wedding night with their period? "Fuck… I'm sorry… This lingerie was new!" She complained. Klaus, on the other hand, didn't seem so upset. On the contrary, he looked pretty interested in the blood on Caroline's fingers. He took her wrist, to watch it closer.  
>"Klaus?" Caroline sounded confused. However, her husband didn't even listen to her. He leaned her fingers to his lips, and he closed his eyes while her blood marked his skin. Caroline found it disgusting and arousing at the same time.<p>

"Your blood tastes as sweet as the perfume of a rose, love." He whispered in a weird ecstasy state. He licked her fingers, and Caroline didn't do anything to stop him. She just stayed still, with her lips slightly parted in surprise, watching him being completely out of his mind.

"What the hell…" She murmured. But Klaus stopped her from talking again, and he kissed the edge of her lips.

"Your blood is my blood. We're a family." He insisted.

"Y-yes…" Caroline let him persuade her, and she started seeing it in Klaus' way. Maybe she was just way too aroused to deny herself a night of pleasure just because her biological clock had decided to fool her on her wedding night. So, after she took Klaus' tie away, she let him push her gradually toward the white bed of the suite. Shamelessly, she opened her legs for him, as her back touched the edge of the bed. She lay down, and she allowed her husband to get rid of her stained panties. He let them slip along her long legs. Caroline unbuttoned Klaus' black shirt, and Klaus grabbed his wife's bra till he broke it. Caroline's new lingerie was definitely ruined.

Placing himself on the top of her, Klaus played with Caroline's hard nipple. He licked it, and after he bit it so hard to make Caroline moan in pain, he sucked the few drops of blood. Caroline caressed his hair, allowing him to do what he liked. He often acted as a child, unconsciously, and Caroline was sure it was because he had never had a mother. He needed someone who could take care of him. "Slowly." She tried to calm him down, not to feel pain. Her caresses became slower, because he was being way too greedy.

With his lips covered in shades of reddish blood and his own saliva, Klaus returned on Caroline's lips, kissing them. Their tongues played, and Caroline opened her legs wider, waiting for him impatiently. Klaus unbuttoned his black trousers, he pulled them down along with his pants. He raised his chest up, staying bent on his knees. When he took his hard erection in his hand, he placed its tip against Caroline's entrance, and he felt how warm it was because of her blood that floating had already stained the white sheets. Their breathing was fast, and Caroline felt relieved and terribly pleased when her husband got gradually inside of her, making her stretch as every inch of his length made its way through her walls.

Klaus held her thighs, keeping her legs spread and remaining knelt as he began moving inside of her in vigorous pushes that made her moan in pleasure. Caroline lifted her arms up, placing them on the bed, and her fingers grabbed the white sheets while her breasts moved up and down anytime Klaus pushed himself always more inside of her. Her eyes became wet, and she kept them closed, deciding to open them every now and then, just to admire Klaus' famished expression. His abdomen was defined with muscles that contracted at every single movement he made.

He always liked being the one in control. He always had to prove he was the alpha male. Caroline was ok with it. Every day she had to show determination, and she had to fight against men and women to win her trials as a lawyer. Being the one who was dominated in her private life wasn't a big effort. She liked the fact that Klaus was the only one who could have some sort of power over her during their intimate moments.

She reached the highest level of pleasure at least twice that night, also when Klaus got tired of the first position, and he grabbed her with no gentleness to make her bend on all fours. He remained behind her, and he kept pushing while he held her blonde, soft hair tightly in his right hand, forcing her to keep her head up. If only someone walked across the corridor of their room's floor, they would clearly listen to their moans and gasps.

As Klaus released his seed inside of her, keeping his eyes closed in a state of pleasure, Caroline felt his tight getting a little gentle, till he definitively let her hair go. She let herself fall on her side of the bed, crouched up, completely naked and fragile. She kept breathing as fast as Klaus, who finally lay down, watching with a lost look the white ceiling of the suite.

"Are you ok, sweetheart?" He asked her.

"Yes." She said back, softly. She was too tired, even to talk. After a few minutes of silence, she turned on the other side, to look at him. She couldn't deny the fact she was quite upset by his weird behavior. Sometimes he didn't even look like the man she knew. Yet, she wasn't mad at him. Maybe his weird attraction toward her blood was just a matter of crazy passion.  
>"Klaus?" Caroline called his name.<p>

"Yes, love?" He responded.

"Do you love me?" She asked. Her husband turned to give her the eyes, and his fingers caressed her chin.

"More than anything else." He admitted. "You have doubt about my honesty?" At his question she shook her head.

"I just like hearing you saying the words." She said back, peacefully. Klaus smiled sweetly. His love for her was pure, not matter what.

"Sleep, now." He told her, while he was still caressing the side of her beautiful face. Caroline nodded a little, and she closed her eyes again.

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><p><strong>Hi guys! As you can see dark fics and I get along so well, I couldn't stop myself from writing a new one. I hope you'll appreciate what I did so far. This story will be a <em>little<em> dark and wicked. In the next chapter I'll explore Klaus' character a little better and you'll see how Klaus and Caroline met each other. **

**Please, review to show me your support. Shall I continue the story, yes or no? Review and I'll update faster.**

**NO mean reviews please. C: **

**Ilaria.**


	2. II chapter

****Warnings: the following story contains explicit and violent content. Don't read if you can't handle.****

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><p><strong>Behind the veil<strong>

_II_

_Two years earlier_

Caroline kept scrolling through her contacts, trying so hard to look busy in the crowded pub in which she would meet Elena, her best friend. As usual, she was late. Caroline blamed herself for being constantly on time. Life was tough for punctual people. It always got pretty awkward when you found yourself waiting all alone. The blonde girl hadn't touched her coffee. She had left it on the table, and sometimes she looked at the little clouds of smoke that left the cup to float in the air. She had no intention to finish it before Elena's arrival.

Caroline sighed one last time, before calling her friend again. As much as she wished to get an answer, Elena didn't pick up the phone. Caroline grumbled, and threw her own phone on the table before her seat. Her fingers massaged her temple while she thought about how she could make Elena pay.

"I'm sorry, love, is this seat taken?" A deep masculine voice interrupted Caroline's thoughts. As she glanced up, she saw the man who had just spoken. Messy, golden hair, not too short, not too long. Full lips, and dark, blue eyes. He was wearing a simple, grey V neck shirt beneath his leather jacket. Caroline didn't say anything at first. Confused, she looked around herself, she saw many other empty seats. She wondered why that man wanted to sit at her table.

"Mmh… Yes. My friend should be here in a few minutes." She said after a while. She felt terribly guilty, then she realized she had just told him the truth. Elena should be there soon. The mysterious man, however, didn't seem willing to take a hint.

"This friend of yours likes to keep you waiting." He assumed. Caroline noticed the little smirk on his face.

"Have you been spying on me?" She insinuated, not sure about how to feel about it. The man laughed a little, keeping his hand on the chair.

"Perhaps I have, Caroline." He admitted. Caroline shivered as she heard him pronouncing her name.

"How can you know my name?" She asked in a concerned, and suspicious exclamation.

"It's written on the cup." The man said back, looking at the name on her coffee cup. Caroline felt deeply embarrassed, as she saw it.

"Right…" She tried to hide her feelings, and she put her hands on her face to hide her blushing cheeks. The man before her laughed again.

"So, is this seat still taken?" He tried again. Caroline immediately got how cocky and stubborn he was. She avoided his look, but she smiled a little.

"Sit, if you want." She said in the end. The man sat at her table, and his blue eyes admired every detail of her face, meticulously. Caroline felt so observed, that she blushed again. He wasn't speaking, he was just looking at her so persistently, and a little smile was still tucked on his lips.  
>"So… Do you have a name?" Caroline tried to open a conversation.<p>

"Oh, how rude, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Klaus, sweetheart." Klaus' voice was so calm, so calm it was concerning. Caroline found him weird, almost disturbing. As much as she was concerned, she couldn't take her eyes off him. Also, she couldn't deny the fact that he was dangerously charming. She pressed her lips, and she smiled softly.

"Nice to meet you, Klaus." She looked him in the eyes, and he did the same, until he saw the black case by her feet. She was wearing a fine black, sheath skirt, a white shirt and a black jacket.

"A businesswoman, I see." Klaus assumed. Caroline glanced down at her own clothes.

"Actually, I'm still studying. I work part time in a lawyer's office." She explained.

"How ambitious." He commented.

"Are you being sarcastic?" She asked, crossing her arms at her chest. As Klaus laughed, she smiled again. Somehow, she found his laughter contagious.

"On the contrary, love, I admire your determination." He said back. Caroline tried to find the truth in his eyes, but she ended up getting lost in that deep, stormy blue. Something in her head told her not to let that pretty face fool her. There was something dangerous in Klaus, and she could feel it. Anyone could. Maybe there was something in the look in his eyes that warned about the presence of a wicked mind. Caroline feared him, even though she didn't know exactly why.

"I have to go back home, now." She used the pretext to get far from him as soon as possible.

"Leaving already?" Klaus asked, seeing she hadn't touched her coffee yet. Caroline immediately grabbed the cup, while she stood up, ready to leave. She would drink the coffee along the way home.  
>"It's dark outside, and New Orleans is not the safest place in the world for a young girl at night. Please, let me accompany you home." As Caroline looked through the coffee shop's window she saw the sun had already faded. Klaus was right, New Orleans wasn't safe at night. She hesitated, and even if a part of her kept telling her not to trust him, she'd rather be accompanied home.<p>

"Fine, if you insist." She accepted his offer. Klaus immediately smirked, and he walked closer to Caroline as he left his chair.

"I insist." He admitted, with his lips curved in a dangerous smile. Caroline shivered at the deep sound of his voice, and, once again, she blamed Elena for missing their appointment. If I get killed, it will be her fault. She sarcastically thought in her mind. Then, the two left the coffee shop together, and Klaus behaved as a gentleman in every single move he made. Caroline was still nervous while they walked down the dark streets together, but Klaus never gave her a reason to be afraid. He was calm, detached, and yet so interested in every word she said. He took Caroline home, and after she said bye he kept smiling softly, while the girl turned her back to him to climb the stairs of the building she lived in. When Caroline shut her apartment's door, she realized Klaus hadn't revealed her much about him.

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><p><em>Present<em>

Klaus woke up before Caroline, and he got off the bed in slow moves, not to disturb his wife's sleep. He took a shower in the wide, elegant bathroom of their suite, taking away the remaining of Caroline's blood from his skin. He washed his light-brown hair, and he made sure the dry, reddish drops of blood left the sides of his chin. The noise of the water crashing down in the shower interrupted Caroline's rest. The girl slowly woke up, but her eyes remained closed until Klaus turned off the shower. She heard him leaving the bathroom, and when she finally opened her eyes she saw him walking around the suite, wearing nothing but a white towel around his waist.

"Good morning, sweetheart." He said, curving his beautiful lips in a genuine smile. Caroline wasn't a morning person, and she wished she could sleep more. She muttered something, and she pressed Klaus' pillow against her face, to avoid the sunlight. When she felt the warmth between her legs she took the pillow away, and she raised her chest to check the mess she had made. Her blood was all over the white sheets of the bed.

"Oh shit!" She exclaimed.

"What?" Klaus asked, confused, without giving that much importance to the blood.

"It's like a crime scene!" She complained in shock. Klaus kept walking around, until he stopped before a mirror, to check his own reflection. He passed a hand on his cheek, feeling the short beard behind his fingers.

"Shall I shave?" He asked for Caroline's opinion, but his wife was rather busy, trying to find a solution to the problem that Klaus ignored.

"They'll think we slaughtered a lamb on our wedding night!" She kept muttering, while she grabbed all the stained sheets, to bring them in the shower along with her.

"Oh, c'mon love, don't make a scene." Klaus tried to interfere with her nature, which forced her to be a real control freak.

"Help me clean up this mess before we leave!" Caroline shouted from the bathroom. As Klaus got behind her, he turned off the shower, and he grabbed his wife by surrounding his strong arms around her waist. Caroline jumped a little, and she kept the only clean sheet tight around her body, not to make it fall to the ground and leave her nudity unveiled.  
>"Klaus!" She giggled a little.<p>

"Stop worrying so much." Klaus whispered to her ear, holding her so tight that she could feel him pressed against her body. Slowly, he kissed her neck, making her smile.  
>"We're married, love." He reminded her after a little while, murmuring the words that made Caroline's heart beat faster. They were finally married, and she had almost forgotten about it. A true happiness invaded her body, making her turn toward Klaus, to look him in the eyes. She smiled again, and Klaus saw the light in her blue eyes. She kissed him. She did it gently at first, and then passionately. Her tongue touched his, and her hands caressed his wet hair. When she stopped to place her forehead against his, she immediately felt a little guilty.<p>

"I'm so sorry we can't get our honeymoon already. You know how much I care about my job… let me win this trial, and then I'll be completely yours." Caroline kissed his lips again, briefly, softly. "There's only one week left." She had to win a trial, before leaving for their honeymoon. They would spend three weeks in a cottage, far from any other human being. Even though Klaus had shown a weird and suspicious skepticism toward the idea of a similar trip, Caroline had insisted until he had accepted. It was as if he didn't like to think about the possibility of being alone with her for such a long time.

"You know I just want you to be happy. Do what you have to do, and don't try to apologize. We have all the time in the world to be together, after all." He spoke close to her lips. Caroline smiled, and she closed her eyes while she left another kiss on his soft lips. She loved him unconditionally, and she was glad he wasn't one of those men who wanted their wives to stay home all day long, taking care of the house and the family. She wasn't that kind of woman.

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><p><em>Two days later<em>

"Klaus!" Caroline shouted his name as she arrived home. She shut the apartment's door as their cat walked as fast and silently as snow that crashes on the ground on a winter day. The animal reached Caroline, who took it in her arms. "Klaus!" She called for him again. She looked for him in the living room, and just when she thought he wasn't home, he came out from his office. He had occupied that room with his canvas, and often he remained there entire days, working on his paintings.

"You're already home." He looked surprised, and she looked completely shocked. "What happened, love?" He immediately walked closer to his wife, placing his hands on her shoulders. She had left home that morning to go to the trial court, and the look on her face suggested that something hadn't gone as she had planned.

"You'll never believe it." She began. "Fell's lawyer died in his hotel room in the French Quarter, tonight. They said it was an overdose." She explained, and Klaus' face turned out to be as much shocked as Caroline's one was. "He was one of the best lawyers out there!" She kept saying. "I can't believe he used drugs!"

"Tell me about the trial. Did you win?" Klaus wasn't interested in the lawyer's death. He wanted to know about the effects it had produced.

"Yes, yes. Of course I did. Another lawyer defended Mr. Fell, but he wasn't informed enough about the case. I mean, everything happened so quickly, nobody was ready." She said.

"You won, this is the only thing that matters." Klaus added.

"What? No! A man died, Klaus!" Caroline reminded him, and she walked away from him to sit on the couch. Klaus rolled his eyes.

"He was your enemy, right?" He asked.

"In a professional way, yes, but I didn't wish him death!" She explained, caressing the cat's soft, white fur. Klaus knelt before her, and he took her hands, trying to calm her down.

"Don't think about it. You won, trial is over, which means we'll soon leave for our honeymoon." He leaned her hand closer to his lips, to kiss it. Caroline sighed, still shocked about what had happened. It was so weird. She knew the lawyer, and she knew he wasn't the kind of man that used drugs. She tried to stay positive, and she nodded, hearing Klaus' words. She also tried to smile.

"Anyway, Elena called. She invited us for dinner." Caroline remembered about the phone talk she had had with her best friend, Elena. Klaus smiled.

"Good!" He exclaimed, and he left a kiss on Caroline's forehead. "Lunch is ready love." He told her, leaving to reach the kitchen. Caroline remained on the couch for a brief while, thinking about how weird Klaus' coldness was. She had just told him a man had died, and he was acting as nothing had happened. She told herself they were different, so they had different ways to respond to certain events.

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><p>Caroline took a long, warm bath to relax after a stressful day. She decided not to think about the lawyer's death anymore. When, in the evening, Klaus drove to their friend's place, Caroline stood before her husband on the house's porch. Klaus didn't like Caroline's group of friends, and they didn't like Klaus. Yet, they all pretended to get along with each other, not to hurt Caroline's feelings. She loved Elena and Bonnie, and she couldn't think of a life without them.<p>

When Caroline rang the doorbell, she waited for someone to open. In the meantime, she fixed Klaus' shirt, and then her fingers passed through his hair. Klaus didn't complain, because he knew she always took care about the little details.

Elena opened the door, and her son, the four year old Matthew, stood by her side. When he saw Caroline, he ran toward her to surround her legs with his little arms in a hug.

"Auntie Care!" He screamed. Caroline bent on her knees, and she lifted up the little boy.

"Here's my little man!" She kissed his cheek, while Elena smiled. "I made a cake for you." She told him. Caroline wasn't a good chef, which was why she always let Klaus cook, but she was quite good with sweets. Klaus took a step ahead, going inside the house. He was holding Caroline's cake: he never let her carry any weight. Matthew's eyes shone brighter as he imagined the sweet hidden in the box.

"I want it!" He extended his short arm toward it. Elena took him from Caroline's arms.

"Only after you've finished dinner." His mom kissed him, after she put him on the floor again. The small boy whined a little.

"Do as your mommy says." Caroline rebuked him, then she winked at him with a smile. Matthew knew Caroline would let him taste the cake even before dinner, because she was always extremely kind to him. So he ran away giggling, and Elena hugged Caroline to salute her.

"I read your message about the lawyer's death. It's terrible." She admitted.

"I know. He seemed like a good person." Caroline sounded naive, and disappointed at the same time.

"What a terrible pity." Klaus commented, sounding terribly sarcastic. Caroline didn't even notice it: she'd gotten used to Klaus' cynicism. Elena, on the other hand, glared at him. Klaus gave her a wide smile, and he handed her the cake his wife had made. Then he looked around himself, and became more serious.

"Where is Stefan?" He asked. Since Caroline had introduced Klaus to her friends, Klaus had developed a weird obsession toward Stefan. He was a psychiatrist, and he, before everyone else, had understood there was something deeply wrong with the man Caroline had decided to marry.

"He's upstairs with Rosie." Elena said back. "She just woke up." She told Caroline, who assumed by Elena's face that Stefan was the only one who could make their baby girl stop crying. "Stefan! Caroline and Klaus are here!" She screamed from the stairwell.

"I'll help you with the dinner." Caroline took Elena's arm, and the two of them walked toward the kitchen. In the meantime, Klaus walked around the living room, with his hands hidden in his pockets. He observed every picture hung on the walls of the first floor. He thought they seemed just like a perfect, happy family. Shivers of disgust ran across his spine, while he pronounced the word in his mind. Family. Family was so overestimated. Suddenly, he felt somebody's eyes on him. Little Matthew interrupted his observations. The child stood by the corner, and he persistently looked at Klaus.

"What is it? What are you looking at?" Klaus asked, and he looked around himself briefly. Matthew held his tongue.

"You know how to speak?" Klaus asked, again. His tone wasn't sweet, nor patient. On the contrary, he was annoyed by the little kid.

"My mommy told me you're weird." Matthew revealed him. Klaus felt deeply hurt. He cared about what other people thought of him, more than it may seem. He raised his chin up in response, showing his weak pride. Then, he walked toward Matthew, who took some steps back, scared. As Klaus bent on his knees, he put his hands on the boy's little shoulders.

"I don't give a fuck about what your stupid mommy says." He whispered in a challenging tone.

"I'm gonna tell mommy you said a bad word." Matthew looked upset, and he pretended to be brave, for a while.

"Listen to me, kid. You bother me. Kids bother me. So let's play a game: you shut your fucking mouth and you'll keep it shut 'till I'm gone. Say a word to your parents, and I'll slaughter your family in their sleep." Klaus threatened the little boy, almost bringing him to tears. "Shh, shh. No crying. Be a man about it." He gave the kid's cheek a soft stroke, and he smiled before leaving. He reached Caroline in the kitchen, acting as if nothing had happened. As he surrounded his wife's waist with his arms, Caroline smiled, and she kissed his lips.

Matthew remained quiet through the whole dinner. His parents repeatedly asked him why he wouldn't speak, but he looked at Klaus, and he remained silent as a stone. Klaus started feeling quite bored as Caroline's friends started telling them all about the kid's development process. He shared glances with his wife, and they both found themselves thinking the same thing: I don't want to become like this.

When Caroline informed Elena and Stefan about her career's success, they were happy, but they weren't that happy. They just thought happiness couldn't be found anywhere but in the family.

"So, are you two going to have kids soon?" Elena asked them. Caroline was unprepared to such a question, because she had never discussed about it with Klaus. So, her eyes looked for Klaus' eyes, and she noticed how calm he was. It seemed like he already had an answer.

"Caroline is busy with her job, and I wouldn't make a good father." He admitted. He was so cold, like he didn't care at all about the matter. On the contrary, Caroline felt a little sad as she heard his words. Maybe they weren't ready to have kids at the moment, but she wouldn't be busy with her job forever. She wanted a family, and now she was slowly realizing her and Klaus had different perceptions of their future.

"Yes. He's right. I mean… I work all day every day, and at the moment I'm not ready to give up to my career." She concluded, hiding her frustration. Elena noticed the real sadness in the look in her eyes, and she decided not make more answers.

After dinner, when Klaus and Stefan left Caroline and Elena alone to talk, Elena let Caroline hold little Rosie, who was just a few months old. Caroline was afraid to hurt her, she was so tiny and looked so fragile. Elena observed Caroline tending to her daughter, and noticed the care in her gentle moves. She sipped her wine, and remained silent for a while.

Caroline smiled as Rosie held her finger tightly. Her hand was extremely small. When, suddenly, her blue eyes met Klaus', who was watching her from a distance, she noticed he didn't look happy with the image he was seeing. She glanced down, almost feeling guilty for having a natural desire. Elena's voice interrupted her from thinking.

"So, I saw Klaus in the French Quarter last night. You didn't tell me you guys where there." She remembered to ask Caroline about it.

"French Quarter?" Caroline looked confused. "When?" She asked again. Elena suddenly felt like she had talked too much.

"Yesterday night." She said back. Caroline shook her head.

"It's impossible. Klaus and I were home." She admitted.

"No, it was Klaus. Stefan and I saw him." Elena insisted. She remembered what she had seen, and she was sure it was Klaus.

"I told you we were home." Caroline said, once again.

"Maybe you were home, but Klaus…" Elena insinuated, making Caroline doubt her own beliefs. "I mean, was he with you?" The girl asked. Caroline thought about it, and her lips slightly and slowly parted, as she remembered she had fallen asleep early that night. Maybe Klaus had gone out for a few hours. But why the French Quarter? It was pretty far from their apartment.

"No." She admitted. "No… I went to bed early. Usually, he doesn't sleep much at night. He stays in his office, painting." She explained. She was deeply upset, and she didn't know what to think.

"Maybe… he left to buy something." Elena tried to guess, and to cheer her best friend. Caroline nodded. She decided to believe he had left to buy something, or just to breathe some fresh air. She didn't want to believe he had another woman. They had just gotten married, and he seemed to be so in love with her, she couldn't imagine him having a secret relationship with another girl.

"I'm sorry, Care. I shouldn't have said anything." Elena felt guilty, seeing how upset her friend was.

"It's ok." Caroline faked a little smile. "I'm sure he left to… get inspired by the city. Everyone knows he's weird." She giggled nervously.

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><p>Caroline remained silent on her way home, while Klaus drove the dark road at night. He seemed so calm, it was hard to assume he was keeping secrets from her. She kept looking through the car's window, thinking about what Elena told her. When Klaus put his eyes on her, he noticed how quiet, and upset she looked. He placed his right hand on her leg and caressed it softly.<p>

"Are you ok, sweetheart?" He asked. Caroline jumped a little as she felt his touch on her. She was so lost in her thoughts, she had forgotten Klaus was right there with her. She tried to hide her true feelings, and nodded, faking a smile. Klaus knew she was lying.

"You're quiet, which is weird since… Well, you're Caroline." He said. He knew her way too well to believe everything was fine. Caroline sighed, and she looked at Klaus' hand, placed on her thigh.

"Actually… Elena told me something tonight." She admitted, and she immediately bit her tongue for saying those words. She knew Klaus would get mad, and she hated seeing him getting mad. She wished she could avoid a fight.

"What is it, love?" Klaus' voice sound interested, and concerned at the same time.

"She told me… Stefan and her saw you in the French Quarter last night. And… I don't remember you told me you went out." She revealed him all the truth, and she didn't feel better, not at all. From Klaus' utter silence, Caroline understood there was something he was trying to hide from her. She looked at his profile, and she noticed his serious, strict face. Suddenly, it was like he wasn't the man she knew anymore. Sometimes he changed so easily.

"I didn't tell you, love, because I didn't go out." He responded, and his tone was terribly cold.

"Elena was sure it was you." Caroline insisted.

"Elena is wrong, Caroline." Klaus was losing his calm. Judging from his anger, Caroline assumed Elena was right. He had left home without saying anything, because he was keeping secrets from her. She, suddenly, felt terribly sick.

"Stefan saw you too. Two people saw you. Not one, Klaus, but two." Caroline insisted. She believed a person could easily make a mistake, but she couldn't believe two people could make the same mistake. There was no doubt her friends had seen Klaus.

"Your fucking friends hate me, Caroline! They talk shit behind my back just to tear us apart! How can you not see it?" Klaus shouted making her jump a little. She hated it when he shouted at her. Even though she had been trying to avoid a drama, it was like Klaus couldn't help himself from picking up a fight.

"Don't shout at me!" She intervened, but Klaus' voice interrupted her.

"They don't want us to be together! They're a bunch of selfish assholes who'd rather see you alone than see you with me!" He always repeated those words, and sometimes she thought he didn't know how much it hurt. Sometimes, she also thought he was right.

"Seriously? You went out in the middle of the night doing God knows what and now it's my friends' fault!" Caroline reminded him who the real guilty party was. Klaus laughed hysterically.

"So now you believe them!" His eyes remained on the road, and Caroline felt so lost she started crying. It was too much. Since they had met, her friends had been telling her bad things about Klaus. They believed he wasn't the right man for her, and Stefan even told her he was completely insane. She couldn't see Klaus' flaws, she was completely in love with him. Nobody had ever made her feel so loved, and happy. He had always respected her.

"I've always been here for you when you needed someone! Your friends never gave a fuck about you! And you keep choosing them over me!" Klaus laughed again, while Caroline kept her hands on her face, still crying.

"I've never chosen them over you! I married you, stupid asshole!" She insulted him, before turning her face toward the car's window, not to be seen by him in that pathetic state. Deciding to believe her friends wanted nothing but her unhappiness hurt, and believing Klaus was keeping secrets from her hurt even more. She didn't know what to do, because she was trapped between two fires.

"I stayed home last night. I was painting in my office, while you were sleeping." He told her, his voice – now calm again – interrupted the silence. Caroline didn't say anything back. She wished she could believe him, and she tried so hard to trust him.

"Caroline?" Klaus called for her, and his hand returned on her thigh. "Look at me." She refused to turn her face, so he grabbed her chin, and he put his eyes into hers. His look was magnetic.

"Tell me you believe me." He asked her. Caroline held back the tears.

"I believe you." She said. Klaus heard the words he wanted to hear. Caroline decided to take the easy way.

"Good." He said, and he nodded softly, before looking at the dark road ahead of them. Caroline got lost in her thoughts again, and she slowly realized she didn't know her husband. She didn't know him at all. The love she felt for him wasn't enough this time. She assumed there were still many secrets she wasn't aware of.

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><p><strong>Hello guys! Thank you for the response to the first chapter of this fic, I'm really grateful to all those who faved, followed and reviewed. <strong>

**I hope you enjoyed the second chapter as well. As you can see, Klaus has a big problem with kids, and with Caroline's friends. :'D Caroline doesn't know who to trust, her friends or the man she loves? **

**Did you like the flashback? Do you want more?**

**Please, review to tell me all you think! More reviews = faster update.**

**Aria.**


	3. III chapter

******Warnings: the following story contains explicit and violent content. Don't read if you can't handle.******

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><p><strong>Behind the veil <strong>

_III_

When they came back home, Klaus and Caroline didn't talk much. He was still cold, and she was still upset. Caroline didn't ask him to come to bed, she knew he wanted to finish his paintings before the dawn. Usually, Klaus didn't sleep much, no matter how many times his wife told him staying up all night was totally unhealthy. That night Caroline slept alone, and she had time to think about what had happened. When she woke up, next morning, she still hadn't found all the answers to her questions, but she felt better. She had chosen to trust her husband, she had chosen him over her friends, and she didn't regret it. She loved Klaus too much to put their marriage in danger.

Klaus noticed Caroline was awake, he watched her blue eyes slowly opening. He had been observing her while she was sleeping, trying not to wake her up by passing his fingers softly on her cheeks. He smiled a little, as if nothing had ever happened. The first thing Caroline saw was his smile, and the dimples on his cheeks that showed up every time he curved his lips.

"Did I wake you up?" Klaus asked. Caroline shook her head to say no. She placed her hands on his face, thinking about how handsome he was, while her fingers touched the line of his full lips.

"I made you breakfast." He told her. He was lying in bed, by her side, and his torso was slightly leant over her. Caroline faked an impressed expression.

"Did you also buy me flowers?" She asked. Klaus frowned.

"Flowers?" He looked confused.

"Men buy women flowers when they feel guilty, when they know there is something they need to be forgiven about." Caroline made him notice. She thought that maybe Klaus wanted her forgiveness. Maybe he knew he had been rude to her, the night before. Suddenly, Klaus smirked.

"I didn't buy you flowers, love." He admitted, telling her, in other words, that he didn't feel guilty at all. "I'm not going to tell you that I'm sorry for what I've said about your friends. But I made you cry last night, and I don't like making you cry." Klaus explained, while admiring Caroline's beauty. Her eyes were observing his lips before getting lost in the deep blue of his irises.

"So, the breakfast means you're almost sorry." She assumed. Klaus thought about it, then he nodded.

"I think it does." He said back. Caroline sighed, and slowly she shook her head again, but her hands kept caressing Klaus' face.

"I married an asshole." She told herself. Klaus smiled cunningly.

"Don't be tragic, love. I might be quite hard to love, but I have many skills." Klaus reminded her.

"Like what?" Caroline provoked him by sounding skeptical.

"I'm a patient man, a caring husband…" He started, while his lips began to kiss Caroline's neck, slowly. "… and I know how to please you in bed." He added in a whisper, as his soft kisses reached her chin. But Caroline didn't give in to temptation, and she pushed Klaus away. Immediately, she put a pillow between her body and Klaus' one.

"Maybe you don't. Maybe I've been pretending I liked it all along, just so not to offend you." She teased him.

"We both know yours is a lie, sweetheart." Klaus said back.

"You don't. You'll never know." She kept teasing him. Klaus grabbed the pillow that Caroline held tightly in her arms. He threw it away, letting it fall on the floor, and making Caroline laugh. His kisses became impetuous. He placed his body on top of hers, and the white sheet on the bed became the only thing that kept their skin from touching. Caroline opened her legs, she tried to surround Klaus' hips with them, but the sheet blocked her. She desperately wanted him after a lonely night. In that moment, another thought came to her mind, forcing her to put her hands on Klaus' shoulders, in order to stop him once again.

"Klaus…" She pronounced his name to get his attention. Klaus stopped kissing her neck, after he felt the push of her fingers against his shoulders. "I know we have never talked about it, but… last night, when Elena asked that question…" Her tone was insecure.

"Wait, what are we talking about now, love?" Klaus was confused, and he tried to get her point. Caroline sighed.

"You told Elena we're not going to have kids." She reminded him, and she sounded genuinely concerned about it. Klaus pretended he was trying hard to remember about that conversation. The truth was he remembered it perfectly.

"Did I?" He asked.

"Yes." Caroline confirmed resolutely.

"I didn't know we're trying to have one." Klaus justified himself.

"We're not!" Caroline exclaimed.

"Then what's the matter, sweetheart?" He kept sounding so confused, Caroline suspected he was just pretending not to understand, to avoid the topic.

"I just wonder if you'll ever want a kid, someday." Caroline had no intention to become mother so soon. She had her job, and she couldn't allow herself to distract her mind from her own career, which was one of the most important things in her life. But she wished she could have her own family, someday, in the future. Klaus seemed to be speechless, and his look avoided Caroline's eyes.

"I'm not good with babies, love. Why do you need one?" He asked. He couldn't understand her wish, because having a family had never been his purpose, not even when he had married the woman he loved.

"I don't need one. I was just wondering how I should imagine my life in ten years." Caroline said back, in an annoyed tone.

"I can be your baby." Klaus proposed. He looked pretty serious. Caroline frowned. Sometimes, it was hard to understand when he was joking, and when he was not.

"You're not a baby, Klaus." She reminded him.

"But we can pretend I am." Klaus proposed, once again. He was excited at the idea. Caroline, on the other hand, found his behavior insane.

"I could call you mom." He whispered as he leant closer to her neck, that he kissed. Caroline's body remained tense under his kisses, and it didn't respond to his passion.

"No, Klaus!" She exclaimed, and she pushed him away. "You're not going to call me mom. I'm not your damn mother." Caroline's disgust turned into shame as she realized Klaus had told her he had lost his mother when he was a child. He had never had a family. She felt terribly guilty as she saw the sorrow in his eyes. It wasn't easy to understand Klaus' expression. You couldn't really tell if he was angry, upset, or just sad. But one thing was sure: he didn't like the fact that Caroline wasn't playing his game.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry." Caroline said, and she took Klaus' face in her hands. "Klaus, I didn't mean to insult her, or..."

"It's fine, love. It's just… sometimes you remind me of her. Blonde hair, blue eyes... so beautiful." Klaus admitted, playing with a lock of her soft, waved hair. He glanced down, and Caroline almost started crying as she heard those words leaving his mouth. Klaus never talked about his past, and when he did, it was an important event. Caroline appreciated the fact he allowed her to know more about what he had been hiding through his whole life.

"You can talk to me about her, if you think it might help." Caroline tried to make him talk more.

"It won't be necessary. Some things are better left unsaid, right?" A little unhappy smile showed up on his face. Caroline couldn't force him to reveal her all his secrets, even if they were married.

"As you wish." She said back, and she kissed his lips, softly. After a brief, innocent kiss, Caroline looked Klaus in the eyes again. "It's ok if you don't want to talk to me, but I think that talking about what happened to you might help you. Why don't you go visit Stefan? He is a good psychiatrist, I'm sure he would listen to you." She suggested him. Klaus smiled, without taking Caroline's advice seriously.

"Do you think I need a psychiatrist?" He asked. Caroline hesitated before answering.

"I think you're aggressive sometimes, and you should let somebody help you." Caroline insisted.

"I'm not aggressive, love. On the contrary, I'm a very nice person." Klaus wasn't willing to admit his flaws. Once again, Caroline noticed there was a hidden, weird shade of darkness in the look in his eyes. Her words were bothering him, no matter how much he tried to look calm. He wasn't calm. "Don't you agree, Caroline?" His tone was dark, and his question made her feel like she was suffocating. She realized she was afraid to disagree with him.

"Stop it. You're scaring me." She told him.

"I'm not doing anything." He made her notice.

"You know what you're doing. That thing with your eyes… stop." She lifted up her chest, trying to free her own body from his dominance.

"Where are you going?" Klaus asked, and his eyes remained on Caroline's body. She was wearing a white velvet nightdress that left many parts of her skin uncovered.

"I need air." She said, and she sat on the edge of the bed, ready to walk toward her walk-in closet, next to the bedroom, to pick some clothes. Klaus' sudden grab blocked her. She felt his fingers holding her arm tightly, as he didn't want her to leave that bed.  
>"Klaus!" She complained, almost shocked by his persistence.<p>

"I asked you a bloody question." He growled, and his tone remained low, even though Caroline could hear his wrath through it. He was hurting her arm.

"Let me go now." Caroline didn't give him an answer. She wouldn't let him win. She wanted him to understand that using violence wouldn't work on her. She wanted him to realize he wasn't in control, and she wouldn't let him manipulate her. "Don't make me repeat myself." She insisted in a calm tone. Klaus saw the strength in the look in her eyes. He couldn't see her fear. As he opened his hand, he let her arm go. Caroline immediately walked away from him, and she walked faster when she heard his steps behind her. He was following her.

"Caroline, wait… You know I would never hurt you, love." Klaus tried to say, but Caroline locked herself in the bathroom by their room, before Klaus put his hands on the door. She heard him hitting it with his fist.  
>"Caroline!" He called her name.<br>"Come out, sweetheart. Let's talk." Suddenly, he sounded rational. Caroline told herself not to trust him.

"Go away!" She shouted. Klaus was about to hit the bathroom's door again, when the doorbell rang. He sighed, he looked at the locked door before him one last time before he walked away, to reach the living room of the elegant apartment. Caroline heard the sound of his steps getting further away, and took a breath of relief.  
>When Klaus opened the door, he looked surprised. A man he had never seen before was standing before him.<p>

"Good morning. I'm looking for Mrs. Caroline Mikaelson. Does she live here?" The man asked. A young guy stood by him.

"It depends on who is looking for her." Klaus instantly said back, standing still in the middle of the little, open space between the door and the wall. He didn't let the two men see the house behind him.

"Detective Alaric Saltzman." The man showed his badge, and Klaus smirked softly, seeing it shining before his eyes. "Cadet Tyler Lockwood." The detective introduced the boy by his side. "We're here to investigate about…"

"The lawyer's death, of course." Klaus interrupted him. His tone sounded proud, while pronouncing those words. "Wasn't it an overdose?" He asked. Alaric Saltzman shared a glance with the cadet.

"Apparently, evidences say otherwise." He admitted. Klaus nodded.

"And you think my wife is the killer?" He couldn't keep himself from laughing. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" He tried hard not to appear amused about the serious situation. "It's just… She's a vegan. I find it hard to believe she would kill a human being." He confessed, seeing the strict looks on the men's faces.

"Nobody think Mrs. Mikaelson is guilty of murder, Mr. Mikaelson. We would just like to ask her some questions." The detective said. Klaus nodded, once again, and he didn't utterly open the door until Caroline came behind him.

"Klaus? Who's there?" She asked, keeping her short nightdress closed by crossing her arms against her chest.

"This detective wants to ask you some questions, love." Klaus pointed his finger at the man, briefly. Caroline opened her eyes widely, and she blushed, noticing she was almost utterly naked before two unknown men.

"Come in, please. I'm so sorry, I would wear something more appropriate if I knew you were coming." She apologized while the detective and the young cadet went into the house. Klaus shut the door behind them.

"Nonsense, love. You look ravishing." Klaus intervened, smiling at her, and kissing her cheek while his arm surrounded her hips from behind.

"Klaus!" Caroline rebuked him in a whisper, rejecting his inappropriate advances, and pushing his arms away from her body.

"We won't take too much of your time, Mrs. Mikaelson. I would like to speak to you while my man takes a look around the apartment." Caroline nodded. "In private." The detective added, giving his eyes at Klaus, who realized he wasn't invited to take part to the chat.

"Please, follow me to my office." Caroline invited the detective. She shared a look with Klaus, before leaving. She made sure he understood everything was fine: he didn't have to worry about her. Klaus kept an eye on the cadet, Tyler Lockwood, from a distance. The young boy felt his look on him, and he avoided touching too many objects around the apartment while looking around himself.

"I don't understand. Am I being accused of something?" Caroline asked, shutting her office's door, and letting the detective sit on the chair before her desk.

"We don't have a warrant for you, Mrs. Mikaelson, if that is what you want to know. Even though we don't have enough evidences, we can say for sure it wasn't an overdose that caused the lawyer's death. Somebody murdered the victim. Unfortunately, I can't share many information. Now, I would like to ask you some questions." Caroline listened carefully, then she nodded, allowing the detective to proceed.  
>"Where were you on the night of the fifteenth of September?" He asked, holding a note and a pen.<p>

"I… I was home. I was sleeping. I needed to rest, because I had an important trial the next day." She explained.

"How can you prove you were home?" Another question made Caroline hesitate for a little while.

"I was with my husband. He can confirm to you I never left." She said. Then she remembered Klaus had left. Elena and Stefan had seen him in the French Quarter. The French Quarter, right were the lawyer had died, in his hotel room. For a moment, the blood in Caroline's veins froze. Suddenly, everything started to make sense. Slowly, every piece of the puzzle seemed to appear right in front to her eyes. She slowly parted her lips.

"Are you feeling fine, Mrs. Mikaelson?" The detective asked.

"What? Yes. Yes, I'm fine." Caroline quickly tried to look calm and ready to answer to more questions.

"How would you define your relationship with the victim?" Their talk went on for at least ten minutes. Ten minutes of hell, in which Caroline struggled to remain lucid, and not to get fooled by the detective's traps. A voice in her head kept telling her Klaus had left. Klaus didn't have a good alibi, and he had a reason to kill the lawyer. Police might think he had killed him just to let his wife win the trial, in order to gain money. All Caroline had to do was not to let the detective's suspicion fall on Klaus. She cared about her husband. She loved him, no matter what he had done. She had to protect him.  
>Once she left her office, along with the detective, she accompanied him to the door.<p>

"I hope I helped you with your investigation, detective. Please, don't hesitate before asking for my help, in case you need it." Caroline kept playing her part.

"I appreciate your kindness, Mrs. Mikaelson." Mr. Saltzman smiled, and the cadet Tyler Lockwood reached him by the door.  
>"It was my pleasure to meet you." He added, before turning his back at her, to get out. But he stopped right on the doorstep, and he turned toward Klaus, who was observing the scene from a distance.<br>"One last question to you, Mr. Mikaelson." He said. "Where were you on the night of the fifteenth of September?" Klaus took his time before answering. A mysterious smile was stuck on his lips. Caroline, on the other hand, couldn't handle the tension anymore. It was clear the detective didn't believe her. She turned toward Klaus, whose eyes were looking at her, waiting for a hint. He was wondering what Caroline had told the detective. Had she told him her husband had left home to take a walk around the French Quarter, as her friends had reported? Or had she ignored that possibility, deciding to trust her own husband over anybody else?  
>Home. Caroline's lips moved slowly in Klaus' direction, but no sound left her mouth.<p>

"I was home, with my wife, detective." Klaus asserted, right after he got Caroline's message.

"Very well." Alaric said. "Have a good day." He smiled to Caroline, who smiled back not to be rude. As Caroline shut the door, remaining alone with Klaus, she allowed herself to close her eyes and take a deep breath, with her back against the cold door. As she opened her blue eyes again, she saw her husband. Was he guilty? She didn't know it. She couldn't know it. But she was sure of one thing: her suspects had grown stronger after the detective's visit. Klaus had hesitated before answering Alaric's last question, which meant he had something to hide.  
>Klaus knew very well that Caroline suspected about him. He could see it.<br>Caroline walked to the kitchen, right where Klaus was standing still. He observed her carefully, while she avoided his look. She took the breakfast he had made for her.

"Is there anything you want to ask me, love?" His deep voice told her he was ready to reveal her the truth. Caroline remained silent for a brief while. Then, when her eyes met his, she read the truth through his deep, dangerous look.

"All I want is to pack my things for our honeymoon. I want to eat my breakfast, then I want to take a shower. And I don't want to talk about this story ever again." She admitted. Klaus nodded. Before she left, he placed his hand on her cheek. Caroline closed her eyes, feeling his warm skin touching her face. Klaus leaned closer, to leave a slow kiss on her forehead. On the night of the fifteenth of September they were both home, cuddling in their warm bed, and nobody could say otherwise.

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><p><strong>Hi guys! I hope you're happy with the chapter. What do you think about Caroline's final decision? A part of her believes Klaus killed a man, and she's ignoring the truth to be happy. All she wants is to have a happy marriage, but things are difficult when Klaus is involved. :')<br>In the next chapter I will write a couple of flashbacks.**

**P.S: for all those who asked if Klaus is a vampire, he's not. This story is a all-human AU.**

**Thank you so much for your support, it means a lot! Remember to review, so I will update faster!**

**Thank you to ellerose77, who is beta reading this story for me. Lots of love. xx**

**Aria.**


	4. IV chapter

********Warnings: the following story contains explicit and violent content. Don't read if you can't handle.********

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><p><strong>Behind the veil <strong>

_IV_

Caroline left home in the afternoon, after she decided to meet Bonnie and Elena to spend some time with the girls. After she had married Klaus, she often felt upset. Sometimes, she found herself questioning her marriage. She wondered if she had taken a rash choice, by marrying Klaus after only a couple of years since they had met for the first time. When those thoughts came to her mind, she felt terribly guilty. She had always wanted a family, and she couldn't allow herself to fail in the attempt to have a perfect life.

A talk with her closest friends was all she needed. Even though they both hated Klaus, Caroline hoped their advice would be genuine. Bonnie and Elena were waiting for her at Elena's place. Since Stefan was out for work, nobody was home except for the girls and Elena's kids. Matthew was too busy playing to listen to their talking, and Rosie was sleeping in her mother's arms.

"Alright, tell us what happened. You sounded upset when you called." Bonnie started, taking her drink from the table before the couch. Caroline was sitting on the armchair before her friends, and she hadn't touched her wine yet. Lately, she felt like her stomach was upside down.

"Nothing happened, actually. It's just…" Caroline didn't know how to explain her feelings. She sighed, and massaged her head. "Klaus is acting a little weird, lately." She admitted.

"Just lately?" Elena couldn't help but be sarcastic, and Bonnie glared at her. "What?" The girl believed she hadn't say anything wrong. "C'mon, you can't say Klaus is ordinary."

"He's not." Caroline intervened. "I know it. I know him." She nodded.

"So, what's wrong?" Bonnie asked, once again. Caroline stared at an imprecise point of the floor, lost in her thoughts. She couldn't reveal them the truth about the detective's visit she had received some days before. Even if they were her closest friends, she had to protect Klaus and preserve her marriage by avoiding the lawyer's murder topic. Just like nothing ever had ever happened.

"I feel like he's keeping secrets from me." She admitted in a broken tone of voice.

"Do you think he has another woman?" Elena asked. A sad smile showed up on Caroline's face, making her lips curve a little. I wish it was just another woman. She thought in her mind. Klaus was hiding something worse than that, and she knew it. Somehow, a part of her already had all the answers to the questions she tried so hard not to ask herself. She shook her head in response.

"No, he's not that kind of man." She said. "If he liked another woman he would ask me to do a threesome." Judging from Bonnie's and Elena's serious faces, Klaus had also affected Caroline's sense of humor. The girl laughed, and she felt embarrassed as soon as she realized her friends were way too concerned about her to understand jokes. "Hey, I'm joking!" Caroline took her glass of wine, and she drank.

"We're really worried for you, Caroline. Since you've met Klaus, you're different." Elena said. Caroline rolled her eyes, and swallowed her wine.

"Oh, please. People change." She said.

"You always pretend everything is alright, but it's not. Look at you, you're not happy. You're not happy with Klaus!" She made her notice. Caroline felt attacked, and for a moment she envied her friend. Elena had what she couldn't have: a family.

"Not everyone is as lucky as you are, Elena. You and your perfect house, your perfect husband… your perfect kids." Caroline spoke with grudge in her tone.

"Girls, please, stop it." Bonnie tried to make it end.

"You don't have any right to judge me, or Klaus." Caroline kept attacking Elena, to defend herself, and to defend Klaus. Subconsciously, she was playing his game. He had managed to turn her against her own friends.

"I said stop!" Bonnie intervened again, showing resoluteness. "We don't need to fight. We're sisters, remember? We stick together, no matter what." Elena and Caroline kept sharing tense glares.

"Go on without me." Caroline drank the last drops of wine from her glass, and grabbed her bag before walking away. Bonnie sighed, and tried in vain to say something, in order to make Caroline stay. The truth was she was tired of listening to all the judgments. Since she had met Klaus, her friends had never missed the chance to say something bad about their relationship. She was tired of being good, and patient. Once she got in her car, she started driving toward home, she couldn't help stop herself from letting the tears flow.

Caroline parked her car not far from home. Before she get out, she fixed her make-up, and took a long breath. While she was making sure nobody would notice she had cried, her eyes moved from the car's mirror to a man that left her building. Caroline immediately recognized the detective Alaric Saltzman, and she frowned, wondering what he was doing there. She remained in the car, and watched him disappearing among the crowd. Apparently, he had made a visit while she wasn't home.

* * *

><p>Klaus said goodbye to Caroline in the afternoon, and he planned to stay in his office during her absence, to focus on his painting. Caroline's portraits prevailed over any other kind of drawings. She was his muse. At the beginning, Klaus gave her his works as presents, and Caroline was always dazzled by his skills. Then, as the time passed, drawing Caroline had become routine, that was why you could find her everywhere around Klaus' office. He sold his art anonymously, because he didn't care about the fame. Klaus wanted to stay in the shadows. Somehow, he felt protected by the darkness. Caroline believed it was just his nature, and she understood him.<p>

When somebody rang at the doorbell, Klaus stopped painting, and cleaned up his hands by using a towel before walking toward the door. He opened it and was surprised to see Alaric Saltzman.

"Detective. What a pleasant surprise." A sly smile showed up on his face. The detective immediately looked at his hands, seeing the stains of red on them. Those rosy shades suggested he had been trying to wash the blood from his skin. Klaus laughed, seeing the suspicious look in Alaric's eyes.  
>"It's just paint. Red oil color." He explained.<p>

"May I come in?" The detective asked in a strict, firm tone. Klaus stepped back with a smile stuck on his lips, showing him the way in.

"Unfortunately, my wife is not home. She left some minutes ago. You can wait for her, if you want, but I'm afraid she won't be here any time soon." Klaus shut the entrance door while talking.

"Actually, I'm not here for your wife, Mr. Mikaelson." Alaric said, and his eyes carefully inspected the living room. "I'm here to have some words with you." He added, looking at Klaus.

"About what, exactly?" Klaus kept playing his part, pretending to be ignorant about the whole lawyer's death matter.

"I was researching in my office, when I found out interesting details about your past. Born in England, grown up in an orphanage. Accidentally, I came to know that Caroline Forbes' husband is the famous Mikaelson kid. Your case is quite famous." Alaric smiled, and Klaus didn't smile back. He didn't like remembering things of his past. And he didn't like it when people knew his whole story only by hearing his name.

"Yes, and it has been archived for years. I don't see how my story is relevant to your investigation, detective." Klaus said.

"It is relevant, since nobody has ever been found guilty of Esther Mikaelson's homicide." Alaric insisted.

"Are you accusing me of the murder of me own mother?" Klaus asked, trying hard to control his anger.

"Oh, I'm not. I don't have any evidence that would prove your guilt. I'm just saying it's a curious coincidence. A lawyer dies the night before a trial, and the husband of the second lawyer, the one who takes all the benefits from the first lawyer's death, is the number one suspect of another murder, which was archived fifteen years ago."

"I won't say another word without my lawyer, who, by chance, happens to also be my wife." Klaus turned his back at Alaric, and he opened the entrance door. "Now, I invite you to leave my house." His request sounded like a command. Alaric gave another look to the living room, then he walked toward the door.

"We'll meet again, soon." The detective spoke one last time before getting out. Sooner than you think. Klaus thought, but his lips remained closed, and he never took off his eyes of the man, until he shut the door.

* * *

><p>"Klaus?" Caroline called for Klaus' name as she got home. She put her bag on the couch, then she took off her shoes. Murphy, their red cat, came to rub himself against Caroline's legs. Caroline had found him in the street in a cold December night when he was a few days old, and she had decided to keep him with her. She and Klaus had named him after the Murphy's Law. She got in Klaus' office, and found her husband painting, like nothing had ever happened. Like he had never received the detective's visit.<p>

"What are you doing?" She asked him, sounding confused.

"I'm working, love." Klaus said back, without taking his eyes off the canvas, while his brush passed fast on it. Caroline kept looking at him, waiting for him to tell her something about Alaric Saltzman. She had seen the detective leaving the building with her own eyes. She couldn't believe he had come without a precise purpose.  
>"Something wrong, sweetheart?" Klaus asked, once he looked at her concerned face. He knew her way too well to ignore the fact that she had been crying. Her make-up wasn't messy, but it wasn't perfect. Caroline would never leave home if her face didn't look flawless. Plus, the white of her eyes was a little reddish. Klaus immediately left his brush, and he walked closer to his wife, to take her face in his hands.<br>"You cried." He assumed. Caroline tried to hide the truth, and she shook her head.

"No, I didn't… I'm just tired…" She said.

"Caroline." Klaus strictly pronounced her name. "You cried." He insisted. For a moment, Caroline almost forgot about the detective's matter, and she remembered about her fight with Elena. She sighed, and she put a hand on her forehead, feeling so exhausted.

"It's nothing important." She kept saying, but Klaus didn't let her face go.

"Tell me what happened. Somebody bothered you?" He asked, showing his protective side, and trying to look into her eyes, while she glanced down. Caroline shook her head, again.

"It's just…" She began to say, but other tears streamed down her eyes before she finished her sentence. "Elena." She added.

"Shhh, it's alright, love." Klaus held her tight in his strong arms, letting her cry against his chest, while his fingers passed through her blonde locks. Caroline found comfort in his sincere hug. Even though Klaus often drove her mad, he was the only one who truly loved her. He was always there to help her, and he always protected her. He made her feel safe, even if everybody else said he was way too unpredictable to deserve her trust.  
>"Don't care about what other people say, sweetheart. Nothing is important, but us." Klaus whispered those words close to Caroline's ear. She nodded in response. Once she stopped sobbing, Klaus took her face, and he looked her in the eyes.<br>"Now, I want to see a smile on this pretty face." He smirked. Caroline glanced down, and she felt stupid for crying so easily. She giggled, and Klaus left a kiss on her warm forehead.  
>"Good girl." He whispered one more time, while his kisses drew a line that ended when his lips touched Caroline's neck.<p>

Caroline returned to think about the detective, while Klaus licked and kissed her soft skin. She had seen Alaric leaving the building, and she was pretty sure he had talked to Klaus. Yet, her husband hadn't say a word about it, yet. She wanted to play his game. She wouldn't make questions about the matter, just to see for how long he would keep hiding things from her. Maybe, he did it just to protect her. She closed her eyes, and some moans left her mouth, while her fingers touched his golden curls.

"I have to start packing my things for our honeymoon." She told him, but Klaus was focused on what he was doing. His arms wrapped around her waist didn't allow Caroline to escape from him. A part of her wanted to avoid his touch. A part of her felt betrayed by his stupid inclination toward lies. But she couldn't reject him, because it would make him suspicious. Plus, the last thing she wanted was picking up another fight.

"Can't you do it later, love?" Klaus asked, with his eyes closed, and his lips still close to her neck. "I have some needs to satisfy." He kept saying. Caroline eyes stared at the paintings placed against the opposite wall. She couldn't say no, because she knew how much Klaus hated that word. He was aggressive, perhaps despotic. Often, Caroline thought that spending energy standing against him was worthless, he was way too stubborn to also be reasonable. So, making him happy was the easiest way to put an end to his whims.

When she felt his hands touching her ass, she didn't complain. His touch was possessive. His kisses became mean to impose his dominance over her. Caroline stopped tormenting her mind with thoughts, and closed her eyes. When she tilted her head slightly to the left, she invited Klaus to keep kissing her neck, where he sucked her skin until it became livid. Caroline always used scarfs to hide the hickeys he left as marks on her.

Suddenly, in a rash move, Klaus made her sit on the wooden table of his office, where he kept all the colors and brushes. Many things fell hitting the floor, but neither minded. They kept torturing themselves by denying each other the pleasure they were waiting for. Kisses were not enough, but they both liked wasting time to let the arousal grow. Their foreheads touched, and their lips were so close that their breathing became one.

Caroline undid his belt, and she unzipped his trousers. Klaus immediately felt more free, his jeans' fly was getting tight while his cock became harder in his pants. Only the thought of Caroline, willing to do anything for him, drove him insane. He tore her top, breaking it in two. Caroline didn't care. Klaus always bought her replacements for the clothes he broke. He just couldn't help himself from destroying things.

Caroline took off Klaus' shirt, making it fall to the ground. In the meantime, Klaus aggressively pulled down her jeans, and he did the same with her panties. Caroline herself got rid of her bra, and she saw Klaus taking a break to admire her naked body, completely exposed to his eyes. He didn't even make an effort to pretend he wasn't looking between her legs.

Caroline knew exactly what he wanted. Supporting the weight of her body on her palms, she remained seated on the table. She spread her legs a little more, and she let him look. Sometimes, satisfying Klaus was easier than one might think. All he wanted was to be in control, and he loved to think he could do whatever he wanted with Caroline's body. Caroline, on the other hand, was willing to do whatever Klaus wanted her to do, even when it felt extremely wrong.

"You're ravishing, love." Klaus started. With his right hand still on Caroline's knee, he used the left one to grab one of his brushes. It was still covered with wet, red paint, when he passed it on her inner thigh, staining her pale skin with red color. "I wish I could paint you on a wall of those Roman churches. Have you ever seen the Sistine Chapel, Caroline?" He asked, without taking his eyes off of her most intimate parts.

"Only… in pictures." She admitted, observing the slow moves of the brush that Klaus was still holding in his hand. Its soft touch made her wet between her legs.

"Oh, that's a pity. We should visit Rome." Klaus asserted. "Ancient Rome was fascinating. Romans were pitiless. Their games were cruel. There's a famous street called Via del Corso, where people used to watch horses' races. Problem is, the street was quite narrow, and horses died crashing against the walls. That was the fun part." The smirk on Klaus' lips was alarming. Caroline was horrified by the story.

"That's disgusting." She complained. Suddenly, Klaus inserted his finger inside of her. She moaned unexpectedly.

"Well, maybe it is… but the horse's story made you quite wet, love." Klaus joked, feeling how wet and ready for him she already was. Caroline pressed her lips.

"Can we please… not talk about dying horses?" She kept complaining, when Klaus stopped touching her intimacy. He took his brush, once again, and this time, before Caroline could add another word, he inserted the handle in her hole in a stab that made her moan loudly. "What the hell…" She thought Klaus was completely out of his mind. He didn't stop his hand from moving, pulling the brush out and pushing it in.

"Stop. Talking." Klaus commanded her, and he took her hand, making her hold the brush. "Do it yourself." He took a step back, to admire her while she masturbated by herself. Caroline's complaining didn't last any longer. If she refused to do as Klaus had said, she would make him go mad. So, she held the tip of the brush, and she inserted it inside of her, as deep as it could get. Klaus simply enjoyed the scene with a proud smile stuck on his lips. She blushed, seeing him watching her like that, in that situation, but she kept going. When she started enjoying it, she felt even more ashamed.  
>"Enough. Now, I want you to stand up, and keep the brush between your legs." His orders guided her. Caroline left half of the object inside of her, and she stood up. Klaus took a step ahead. He placed his hands on her shoulders, then he made her turn. Once she exposed her back at him, Klaus' left hand pushed her bust against the table, and he extracted the brush from her. Caroline fought back.<p>

"No!" She tried to free herself from his grasp, and she turned to look at his face. "I want to make love to you. I want to look you in the eyes." She took his face in her hands, trying to show him kindness, and be gentle. Klaus' hands resisted, making pressure against her shoulders, in order to make her turn. But Caroline insisted, and she put an end to their little fight once she grabbed Klaus' hands, to hold them in hers.

"If you insist." Klaus asserted in a harsh tone, and he pressed his body against Caroline's one, which was trapped between Klaus and the table, behind her butt. He made her sit, and he pulled down his jeans and pants, but his ass was exposed only in part. Caroline kept her legs spread, and she felt Klaus placing the tip of his cock at her entrance. She sighed in pleasure, feeling him sliding gradually inside of her.

Klaus adjusted himself, deep inside of a breathless Caroline. He started a constant rhythm, moving his pelvis in pleasing pushes that made Caroline's breasts move up and down, every time Klaus' balls slammed hard against her pussy. The sound of their skin hitting against each other was the only noise in the room, along with their heavy breathing.

Caroline's hands were placed on Klaus' ass, but they moved to his shoulders once his pushes became wider. She wanted him to be able to move freely. They never kissed their lips, because it would stop them from sharing deep eye-contact. They both got lost in the different shades of blue of their eyes. Caroline always tried to control Klaus' rush. She caressed him softly, making him feel loved. It was like trying to control a wild animal. Hearing his growl, and feeling the violent grasp of his hand around her arm, she placed a hand on the side of his face.

"Gently…" She whispered, close to his lips. Gradually, Klaus opened the fingers of his hand, softening his grab. Klaus touched Caroline's hips, and the girl closed her eyes, raising her chin up. She moaned louder as the pleasure grew.

Klaus kissed Caroline's breasts, biting her hard nipples every now and then, and marking her skin with intense, violet hickeys. She was so delicate and pale, it wasn't hard to leave marks on her body.

"I'm close." He growled, placing his forehead against his woman's chest, and accelerating the rhythm of his pushes. Caroline put her hands on the back of his head, with her fingers among his light, brown hair. She had reached the highest level of pleasure several times, and she was impatient to receive Klaus' seed inside of her, to feel utterly his.  
>"Caroline…" He whispered her name in a broken growl as he came. Caroline spread her legs even more, and she let Klaus rest with the side of his face placed on her big breasts. Klaus stayed inside of her, waiting to get his strength back. Caroline kissed his head, and her arms kept him close to her, almost like she wanted to protect him. Maybe she did. Maybe Klaus was the one who needed her protection. His body was strong, but his mind was weaker than he thought.<p>

"Your body is tense." Caroline whispered, and she slowly touched the muscles under the skin of his shoulders. She tried to make him relax, by massaging him. Klaus closed his widely open eyes, and he tried to breathe slowly.  
>"You have so much anger inside of you…" Caroline noticed. She didn't know why her husband was constantly tormented by that uncontrollable wrath. She always tried not to stress him, and she had come to the conclusion that she wasn't Klaus' problem.<br>"Talk to me. Tell me what you feel, please." She begged him. Klaus immediately shook his head, and when Caroline took his face in her hands she noticed the tears in his eyes. Something was wrong with him, and whatever it was, it was destroying him from the inside.  
>"Klaus…" There was pity in Caroline's tone. "I just want to help you. You can trust me." She would like to know what was going on in his mind, but she couldn't. Klaus returned hiding his face against her chest, and Caroline let him cry silently, while she caressed his hair, slowly.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Two years earlier:<em>

Some weeks had passed since she had met Klaus for the first time. That evening in the street hadn't been the last time Caroline had seen him. Actually, Caroline often saw him outside, under her bedroom's window, mostly at night. She always pretended like she didn't see him, even when their eyes met for a brief while. She knew he was observing her, and she found it as beautiful as it was creepy. In the morning, she found letters and drawings among her post. Apparently, Klaus was an artist. He gave Caroline portraits as presents, and he wrote beautiful words for her. Never before a man had shown so much interest in her. Caroline thought he was a true gentleman, and he was creepy and romantic at the same time.

When she had told her friends about Klaus, they had shown concern. They were worried. They suspected he was a psychopath, and they didn't seem to share Caroline's sweet vision of the whole thing.

Klaus had never dared to knock at Caroline's door, nor had he tried to establish any contact with her. He only gave her presents, and he wrote her letters. Caroline wished he would make the first move, because the waiting had made her impatient to speak to him again.

She was placing new flowers on her father's grave, when she heard the noise of steps getting closer, until the noise stopped. Somebody was right behind her, she could feel it. Something told her it was the man who had been watching her for weeks, and her heart started beating faster in her chest. She took a deep breath, and the she turned.

When her eyes saw Klaus, she didn't look surprised. The two of them shared a glance, and they remained silent, but the silence lasted only for a brief while.

"You finally showed up." Caroline said. Klaus never interrupted their eye contact.

"I'm here to give you my apologies." Klaus admitted, and Caroline felt confused. "I know I've been intrusive. I've been watching you without your permission, and I wish you could forgive me. I didn't mean to scare you." His tone was calm, gentle. Caroline frowned a little.

"Actually… I liked your drawings, and your letters." She revealed to him. Klaus smiled, and he glanced down for the first time. Apparently, he didn't know how to accept a compliment. "I just don't understand why." She giggled a little. Even though she appeared so confident, she was an insecure, young girl. She would never believe a man could fall for her so easily.

"What do you mean, love?" Klaus asked.

"Why me?" Caroline seemed unable to understand, as if she didn't know how beautiful she was. Her beauty appeared so obviously clear to Klaus, that he found himself unprepared to explain to her why he had chosen her among many other women. Couldn't she see how perfect she was?

"Because you're beautiful. You're full of light. No man should ever ignore your perfection. I tried to honor it by capturing it in my drawings, but I'm afraid not even art can give it justice." Klaus said, leaving Caroline speechless. His obsession with her knew no boundaries, and Caroline didn't know if she should be happy about it, or concerned.

"Ehm… thank you. It's very nice of you." She smiled politely, feeling flattered by his words. Klaus smiled back, then his eyes looked at the name on the grave.

"Your father?" He asked. Caroline looked at her second name, written after the name of her father. She nodded, as Klaus walked closer, by her side.

"He died five months ago. Doctors say his heart stopped working suddenly." She told Klaus, with her eyes stuck on the grave. Sometimes, she couldn't even realize her father had actually died. The wound was still open.  
>"But I'm happy he saw me graduating, he cared about it. I have good memories of him." She kept saying. Then, she smiled. "I'm sorry, I'm annoying you with my sadness." Klaus immediately looked at her.<p>

"On the contrary, love, I would like to help you ease the pain if I could." He said. "I lost my parents too when I was a kid. I know how it feels." He confessed. Caroline felt lucky, because at least her father had stayed with her for a long part of her life.

"It must have been tough." She said. Klaus nodded.

"It wasn't easy, but I think life never gives you sufferings you can't handle." Caroline agreed with Klaus' words, and in the next few moments of silence she hoped he wouldn't disappear like he had done after the last time. She enjoyed his company.

"Klaus, I was wondering… why don't you come to my apartment tonight? Instead of spying on me from a window, you may just knock at the door and get in." Caroline smiled. She couldn't help herself from smiling at the thought of him, wasting time in the cold street, just to look at her through the glass of a window. Klaus smiled back. Seeing her sweet lips curving in a smile, it was impossible to keep a straight face.

"Gladly." He accepted her invitation. Caroline got lost in his grey eyes, and she trusted him. Maybe he had creepy and unusual behavior, but she couldn't believe Klaus was the dangerous man her friends had warned her about.

* * *

><p><strong>Hi readers! Thank you again for your support, reading your reviews helps me a lot getting more inspired to write. <strong>

**I hope you enjoyed the smut ;) and the flashback I had promised you. It won't be the last one. As you can see, Klaus is strong and despotic on the outside, but there's something in his mind that causes him many troubles. **

**Tell me all you think by leaving a review! More reviews = faster update. **

**Aria. **


	5. V chapter

**********Warnings: the following story contains explicit and violent content. Don't read if you can't handle.**********

* * *

><p><strong>Behind the veil<strong>

_V_

Staying home with nothing to do wasn't easy for Caroline. She felt empty, almost useless. Her job constantly kept her busy, but she had promised to Klaus that she would rest for a while, after their marriage and before their honeymoon. So, while she waited for the departure day, she didn't keep the promise she had made to her husband: she didn't rest.

After years, she found herself cleaning up the apartment from end to end. Usually, Klaus did the housework, because he had lots of free time. He didn't have a real job, he just sold his art to help with the payment of the bills. Caroline earned enough money to guarantee herself and her husband a high standard of living.

Many people found it weird. Even Caroline's mother, Liz, used to think that Klaus was nothing but a slacker. Caroline had tried to make her change her mind, by telling her that Klaus and she were just living their dreams. He was an artist, and he did what he liked, and she was focused on her career, which was one of her biggest sources of happiness.

That morning, while Klaus was taking a shower, the phone rang, and Caroline answered.

"Hello?" She said. It was an anonymous number. Getting no answer, Caroline frowned. "Hello?" She repeated.

"Who is it?" A woman spoke after another moment of silence. Caroline didn't recognize her voice, but it sounded uncertain.

"You tell me who you are, you're the one who called." Caroline insisted. The woman hesitated.

"I would like to speak with Nik." The feeble voice asked. Caroline felt the blood boiling in her veins. The thought of Klaus having a secret lover had been nothing but a stupid doubt until that moment, and now all Caroline's fears seemed to become concrete. Nobody called him that way. Nobody called him Nik.

"My husband is busy. Who's looking for him?" Caroline tried to make the girl reveal her name, but it wouldn't be so easy.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have called." The woman said.

"Wait!" Caroline tried to keep her from hanging up the phone, but before she could say anything else, she realized it was too late. She stared at the phone in her hand, and she wondered if Klaus was that stupid to give his secret lover his phone number. The answer was no. He wasn't stupid at all, and he was a good liar. He knew how to hide his secrets, when he had to.

"Who was it, love?" Caroline jumped, as she suddenly heard his voice. She had gotten lost in her thoughts, and she hadn't even heard him getting out of the shower. She found herself unprepared. Klaus laughed, seeing how scared she was.

"I didn't mean to scare you." He asserted in a kind tone, getting closer to his wife, to kiss her softly. Caroline let him do it, but she kept her lips shut when she felt his pressed against them.

"So, who was it?" Klaus asked, once again. Caroline looked him in the eyes in a serious face, then she faked a convincing smile.

"They dialled the wrong number." She lied, and her hands caressed the sides of his face. Klaus smiled back, but there was a hint of suspect in his blue, dark eyes. His hair was darker, still wet, and Caroline found him so damn attractive.

"I was hoping we could spend some quality time together. In bed." His smirk and almost utterly naked body were teasing her self-control. Klaus' arms were now wrapped around her waist, and when he came a little closer to kiss her, Caroline turned her face to look at the other side.

"We can't. I promised my mom we would meet for lunch in… ten minutes! I'm late!" Caroline freed herself from Klaus, and she walked around the living room, looking for her purse.

"Am I coming?" Klaus asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No." Caroline smiled at him, and she grabbed her purse when she finally found it.

"Oh, c'mon. I'm officially part of the family, now." Klaus tried to convince her to take him with her.

"My mom despises you, Klaus, along with all my friends and the rest of the family." Caroline reminded him. Klaus smiled, once again. He didn't give a damn about what people thought of him. He enjoyed being hated, and he enjoyed bothering other people with his presence.

"Will you at least say hi to your mom for me?" He asked. Caroline reached the door.

"I will, I promise." As she opened the door, Klaus grabbed her wrist, pulling her back in the house. Caroline's heart skipped a beat: she didn't know what he was going to do.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?" He looked her in the eyes, now that they were so close. Caroline appeared serious at first. She didn't want to kiss the lips that had been kissing another woman all along. But she faked another smile, not to make him become suspicious. She leant closer, and she left a brief, innocent kiss on his lips.

"See you later." She said, speaking softly, right before leaving. Klaus let her go, and he shut the door once Caroline left. He knew there was something wrong. She was suspecting about him, and her suspects grew day by day. He needed someone who might help him. Thinking about it, he immediately found the right man who fit the role.

* * *

><p>Caroline drove to a grill in the French Quarter, where she was supposed to meet her mother. She was late, and she found Liz waiting for her at their table. Now that her friends were no longer there for her, she was sure nobody would help her get through such a hard time like her mother would. The two of them had stopped talking like they used to when Caroline had started living with Klaus. Liz hadn't approved their relationship at first, but then she had had to accept her daughter's will. Caroline was an adult, and she had the right to make her choices.<p>

"I know, I'm late! Traffic in New Orleans is insane." Caroline started, before her mother would say something. She sat, and she put her purse behind the chair.

"You won't see any cars for a whole week on the Canadian Rockies." Liz assured her. Caroline would spend her honeymoon with Klaus in a desolate area of Canada, among woods, mountains, and crystal clear lakes.

"How are you, sweetie?" Liz asked her. Caroline sighed, and not even a small smile showed up on her usually bright face. Now, the look in her eyes was no longer that bright.

"Tired." Caroline asserted.

"Tired or sad?" Liz had grasped there was something wrong in her daughter. Caroline glanced down.

"Possibly both." The blonde girl admitted.

"Alright, what's happening?" When Liz made the question, Caroline crossed her arms on the table. She didn't know where to begin, because too many things were happening between Klaus and her, and some things were better left unsaid.

"Klaus and I are going through a hard time. We don't fight that often, it's just… He's weird, and he doesn't talk to me. Sometimes I barely recognize him." Caroline admitted, even though it was hard for her to reveal she was failing. Her own marriage was failing. It hurt more than anything else, because Caroline had always wanted order and perfection in her life.

"Marriage isn't always easy, Caroline. Don't stress yourself too much." Even if Liz despised Klaus, she still wanted her daughter to be happy.

"I think he has another woman." Caroline suddenly said, and she sounded so concerned and certain of her own words.

"Klaus?" Her mother looked sceptical. "Listen, I don't like him, I admit it. But Klaus… He is completely in love with you. Why would he betray you?"

"A girl called this morning, and she said she wanted to speak with Nik. She didn't want to tell me her name. I don't think she was aware of the fact that he has a wife." Caroline's tone was cold, while she told her mother about what had happened that morning. Liz looked confused, at first, then she tried to stay positive.

"Maybe she was just an old friend."

"It doesn't make sense." Caroline insisted.

"What do you think you will do?" Caroline slowly shook her head, hearing her mother's question.

"I don't know." She said. "When I decided to marry him I told myself I wasn't going to do the same mistakes you and dad did. I won't ask for divorce, no matter what." Caroline had always blamed her parents because they hadn't been able to save their marriage, and they had hurt her when she was a kid. Now, she wanted what she had never had: a family. She wouldn't give up on Klaus.

"You know, I think the two of you only need to spend some time alone. You'll leave tomorrow for your honeymoon, and I'm sure everything will be fine. They say Canada has wonderful landscapes." Liz comforted her daughter, who nodded in response. She hoped her mother was right.

"I'll get you a present from the Canadian Rockies. A baby bear, maybe!" Caroline joked.

"I'm getting older, and the only present I want from you is a grandchild." Liz smiled, and Caroline raised her eyebrows, with her lips slightly parted.

"Seriously, mom?" She giggled a little.

"You're almost twenty-six. I had you when I was twenty-six." Liz tried to persuade her.

"I have my job, and I don't want to end up like those mothers who hire a nanny who takes care of the kids all day long. Plus, Klaus and I don't like children." While she spoke, Caroline took the menu to decide what to eat.

"I thought you did." Liz frowned. Caroline silently sighed.

"I don't anymore." She shortly said back.

"Since when, precisely?" Her mother kept asking. Caroline knew she said she didn't like kids, just to convince herself she actually didn't. Since Klaus despised the idea of becoming father, there was no reason to keep wishing to have a baby, someday.

"Listen, believe it or not, I want to be a successful lawyer, and not a mother." Caroline simply said.

"Your life, your choices. I just hope you won't regret them." Liz thought her daughter had changed, since Klaus had come into her life, and she wasn't the only one who believed so. Caroline was sure it wasn't a good time to have a son, and maybe the right time would never come. Things were always complicated, when Klaus was involved.

* * *

><p>The sun was slowly fading, when Klaus reached a quiet neighborhood of the city. He was driving his elegant, black car, when he pulled over before a nice, two-floor building. He could see from the windows that the lights were turned on, and he remained in the car for a while, observing the place from a distance, before getting out. He proceeded fast toward the door, keeping his hands hidden in the pockets of his dark jacket. Once he climbed the few steps that divided him from the entrance, he rang the doorbell. He waited just a few moments, then he heard the noise of steps getting closer. When Stefan appeared before him, an insane smirk made Klaus' lips curve.<p>

"Doctor." He asserted. Stefan pressed his lips, and he gave a quick look at the empty street behind Klaus. He looked suspicious, almost afraid to be seen in his company. Then, he took a step back, and he let Klaus in. He shut the door, and the warmth of Stefan's office made Klaus feel like he was home.

"It's been a long time since the last time you visited me in my office." Stefan said, and he didn't show Klaus the way toward the room in which he used to receive his patients: Klaus already knew the way.

"I know. Two years, to be precise." Klaus said, and he sat on the comfortable armchair reserved to the patients, with his hands behind his head and his legs crossed. He stared at the ceiling, and he remembered about the long hours he had spent in that office when Stefan was still his psychiatrist.

"Why are you here, Klaus?" Stefan asked, and he sat on his own black-leather armchair.

"Caroline insisted that I spoke with you about my endless list of mental issues." Klaus informed him.

"Has she started suspecting about you?" Stefan asked, once again.

"Yes, she has. And I'm afraid she's really close to find out the truth about me." Klaus revealed to Stefan his concern.

"I must ask you if we're speaking as friends, or as psychiatrist and patient." Stefan interrupted him. Klaus thought about it, silently.

"We both know I'm not the kind of psychopath who can be helped by a therapist. So, from now we'll be speaking as friends." He decided, and Stefan nodded.

"Go on. Do tell." Stefan was willing to listen to all Klaus had to say.

"I love Caroline, and I would never hurt her. But she's being quite annoying, lately. After I killed the lawyer to let her win the most important trial of her career, your sweet wife, Elena, made her suspect about my innocence, by telling her I was walking around the French Quarter in the night of the murder. Maybe, you should teach Elena how to keep her mouth shut." Klaus gave a strict glare at Stefan, blaming him and his wife of all the mess. Stefan rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, your wife is the last one of my problems right now. There's this detective, Alaric Saltzman, who – don't ask me how - found out uncomfortable details about my past, details that Caroline must not know." Klaus kept saying.

"I thought you had already told Caroline about your mother." Stefan interrupted him. The psychiatrist knew every single one of Klaus' secrets, and now they were also his secrets. Klaus had come to him, looking for help, about three years before he met Caroline, and it had taken months to make Klaus speak about his past.

"Well, I didn't, Stefan. And I don't want her to find out the truth thanks to a man who can't stay with his feet in his proper place." Klaus growled, raising his chest up, and sitting properly on the armchair.

"You have something in mind, don't you?" Stefan assumed, by looking him in the eyes. They were dark, and the blue of his irises had been almost completely replaced by black, and darkness. Suddenly, a frightening smirk appeared on Klaus' face.

"Alaric Saltzman has been following me the last few days. He believes I didn't notice. He's outside the building right now, his car is parked on the street. He will come to you as soon as I'm gone, to ask you information about me. I need you to cooperate, Stefan." Stefan looked concerned, but not scared by Klaus' demand. He knew he was talking to a serial killer, and he knew he didn't have choice. He had to help him, if he cared about his life, and the life of his family.

"I will." He said. Klaus smiled, once again.

When Alaric saw his number one suspect, Niklaus Mikaelson, leaving the psychiatrist office from a distance, he waited for the man to take his car and leave for good. Once he made sure he wouldn't see him, he walked to the building's door, and he knocked three times. When a young man opened the door, he put his hand in his pocket, and he showed him his badge.

"Detective Alaric Saltzman. I would like to ask you some questions, Doctor… Salvatore." He announced, after he read the name outside the door. Stefan looked at the badge, he read the name written on it. He let the detective in.

"Of course." He smiled. "Please, follow me." Stefan lead Alaric to the office, and the detective sat on the chair before the desk.

"You don't have a secretary, Doctor Salvatore." Alaric noticed. He had just arrived, and he had already given a quick look around the place.

"I don't. I don't need one. I'd rather let my patients feel comfortable in a welcoming home, instead of giving them the idea of being in an austere medical office." He explained. Alaric nodded in response.

"Would you like some coffee?" Stefan asked, and Alaric shook his head.

"Talking about your patients, I'm here to ask you some questions about one of them." He started. Stefan smiled.

"I'm afraid I can't help that much, then. Client confidentiality is something I must respect." He said as he sat behind his desk before Alaric.

"I'm sure you're allowed to answer to some innocent questions about Niklaus Mikaelson." Alaric insisted.

"Why him?" Stefan acted like he knew nothing about the matter.

"Apparently, he's the main suspect of two murders, and his alibi is not that convincing." Alaric explained vaguely.

"Well, even if I knew something about the murders, I couldn't tell you." Stefan pressed his lips.

"I'm aware of that. Still, I believe you can tell me something about Mikaelson's personality." In that precise moment, the doorbell rang, and Stefan looked at the little part of entrance he could glimpse from his position.

"I'm sorry, it must me one of my patients. I'll be right back." He stood up, and Alaric nodded, letting him go. The detective took some papers he saw on the desk, and he started reading them without the doctor's permission. Stefan walked to the entrance's door, and he opened it, knowing exactly who was waiting outside.

Klaus got in, with his hands covered by a pair of black-leather gloves. The look in his eyes had never been darker. He looked dangerous. He overstepped Stefan, who quickly shut the door after Klaus came in. The doctor remained still by the door, with a concerned look in his serious eyes. Klaus proceeded toward the office, and when he got in, he saw the detective sitting on the chair before the desk. He had his back to him, he was so focused on reading Stefan's patients' files.

The bloodthirsty murderer that had remained hidden for a long time, walked fast toward the man, and when he got close enough, he put his gloved hands on the sides of the detective's head. In a sudden, sharp, and rude movement of his arms, Klaus snapped Alaric's neck. He felt the bone cracking under the pressure of his strong fingers. The noise was a glorious symphony to his ears.

Once he made sure the head of his last victim dangled on one side without control, he told himself the asshole was finally dead. There was no blood on the floor, there was no blood on Klaus' clothes. There was no evidence of the crime. Stefan came in, not surprised by Klaus' pragmatism. He was fast, just like an expert, a skilled murderer.

"You're becoming quicker." The psychiatrist commented. Klaus smirked cunningly.

"I'm glad it's not what my wife says when we have sex." He joked. He had just killed a man showing no mercy, and he was still able to joke.

"What do we do with the body?" Stefan asked.

"The dead man is in your office, which means the body is your problem, now." Klaus smirked, walking slowly and calmly toward Stefan. He patted his shoulder, seeing the anger in his grey eyes. Klaus trusted him, and he was sure he would do his best to hide any kind of evidence not to be incriminated for murder.

"Say hi to Elena and the kids from me when you get home." Klaus added, walking toward the door. Once he reached it, he turned to glance at Stefan.

"I'll tell Caroline we had a talk." He informed him.

* * *

><p>Caroline was waiting for Klaus when she heard the noise of some keys moving inside the door's lock. She wondered where Klaus had been all along. When she saw her husband getting in, she walked toward him. She was upset, since he hadn't told her he would spend so much time outside. Plus, he had forgotten his phone on the sofa of their living room. Or at least, Caroline thought he had left it there by mistake.<p>

"Where the hell have you been?" She asked, raising her arms a bit, right before letting them fall beside her hips again. Klaus took off his jacket, and he placed it on the coat hanger. He was no longer wearing the black leather gloves.

"Good evening to you, sweetheart." Klaus ironically said back, teasing Caroline's nerves.

"Answer my question!" She insisted. She still suspected he secretly met another woman, every time he wasn't with her.

"I was with Stefan. I met him in his office to talk." Klaus' look became darker, and his tone seemed like a growl. He didn't like being attacked.

"What?" Caroline murmured. She couldn't believe Klaus had done what she had asked him to do.

"I did as you asked me." He kept saying. Caroline glanced down, feeling guilty for all the bad thoughts that had tormented her mind in the last few hours, during Klaus' absence.

"Klaus… I'm sorry, I thought…" She stopped talking, before she talked too much. She sighed, and she looked him in the eyes. This time, her look was kinder. She was genuinely happy, because she finally felt like she wasn't the only one who tried so hard to save their marriage.

"I'm so proud of you." She hugged him, throwing her arms around his neck, to make him feel supported in his decision. Klaus smelled her sweet scent, and he closed his eyes, feeling finally home. His strong arms surrounded Caroline's thin, fragile body. Just a few minutes before, those arms had killed a man, and now they were keeping Caroline close to his body, and the girl felt like she was in the safest place in the wide world.

"You look tired, love." He whispered, close to her ear, which was covered by her waved, blonde locks.

"I am tired." She admitted. When Klaus lifted her body up, Caroline didn't complain. She let him carry her to their bedroom, and once they got there, he softly laid her on their bed. He stayed still for a while, admiring her in all her beauty. Caroline didn't ask any question. She looked back at him, and shivers ran across her spine when his hands started undressing her slowly, clothe by clothe. She didn't know if he had some weird fantasy in mind, but she just let him proceed. She was like a lifeless doll in his hands.

Klaus started with Caroline's shirt, and once she was shirtless, he unbuttoned her jeans. He grabbed them, and he pulled them toward himself, making them slip along her legs. She was almost utterly naked before his eyes, and Klaus took his time before sitting on the edge of the bed, playing with a shoulder strap of her bra.

"Klaus." She whispered his name.

"Yes, love?" He waited for the words to leave her beautiful lips.

"Do you have another woman?" She finally found the courage to ask him the question. The following moments of silence were hard to handle, but Caroline waited to hear his answer, an answer that she knew would be sincere.

"How could you possibly think that?" The broken sound of his voice suggested her that he had never desired another woman, only her.

"I'm just afraid." She admitted. She didn't like being weak, but Klaus had already seen her fragility many times before. Klaus took Caroline's hand, he looked at the ring she wore on her finger. The diamond shone through the darkness of the room. He had given her that ring when he had asked her to marry him. He brought her hand close to his soft lips, and he kissed it with care.

"You are the only woman I love and desire, sweetheart. The only one." He told her. Caroline never stopped looking him in the eyes. He was sincere, she could see it. Maybe she was just tired. Maybe she just needed to leave, and spend some time alone with him, far from New Orleans. Luckily for them, their honeymoon was just around the corner.

* * *

><p><strong>So, many things happened in this chapter. Now you know that Stefan always knew the truth about Klaus. ;)<br>In the next chapter, Klaus and Caroline will finally leave for their honeymoon. Smut will come very soon. **

**As usual, remember to REVIEW! xx**

**Aria.**


	6. VI chapter

********Warnings: the following story contains explicit and violent content. Don't read if you can't handle.********

* * *

><p><strong>Behind the veil <strong>

_VI_

Klaus was dragging the last of Caroline's heavy luggage outside the building, while a cab awaited them. Caroline stood by the car, checking the list she had made not to forget anything home before the honeymoon. When Caroline packed her things for the journey, she simply moved all her things from the wardrobe to the suitcases, because she was totally unable to choose which dresses she should take with her and which ones she should leave home.

Klaus, on the contrary, took the only things he knew he would need: some V-neck shirts, a few pairs of trousers and jeans, shoes, and pants.

"That was the last one, love." Klaus informed her, as he put the last one of Caroline's three suitcases in the car.

"Are you sure? Did you take the shoes one?" Caroline asked, while her sight carefully looked for the pink luggage in which she had put all her shoes.

"Yes, Caroline, and I still can't figure out when you're planning to wear high heel shoes on the bloody Rocky Mountains." Klaus complained, and he sounded ironic in his scold. He was making fun of her, as he always did when Caroline showed her fussy side.

"You never know!" Caroline said, defending herself from Klaus' scepticism.

"Right. Maybe wolves will throw a party and we'll get an invitation." He kept saying. Caroline rolled her eyes in response.

"Or maybe I'll wear high heels in our bedroom, just to arouse you." She whispered, so close to his slightly open lips. A cunning, naughty smile showed up on her face. She saw Klaus' excitement in his eyes.

"Anyway, whatever. As you just said, I won't need high heels on the Rocky Mountains. Feel free to take the luggage back home." Right before she finished her sentence, she put her eyes back on the list.

"Nonsense, love. You never know what you might need." Klaus had already changed his mind, at the prospect of seeing his wife wearing arousing clothes, just to please him. He would be happy to carry Caroline's luggage around the airport all day, if that was the price to pay. Caroline smirked, once again, and she thought men could be easily manipulated.

"Murphy!" Caroline exclaimed, as her eyes glimpsed the red fur of their cat. Murphy had followed Klaus to the street, and now he was rubbing himself against Caroline's legs. The girl bent, and she took the feline in her arms, holding him tightly. The cat didn't seem to be pleased by the grasp, he had a murderous look in his yellow eyes.

"Mommy and daddy were about to forget you are home, all alone." Caroline murmured in a sweet tone to the cat, and she gently kissed his head, but Murphy's red tail waved in annoyance.

"Alright, we're ready to go." Klaus asserted, and he opened the cab's door, to let Caroline in. The girl kept holding Murphy in her arms. He didn't need to stay in a cage, because Caroline had made sure to get a license that allowed Murphy to travel with her through the whole flight. Pet therapy, or something like that.

"Did you get your passport?" Caroline asked, as Klaus sat by her side.

"Yes, love." He said back, showing a resolute calm. Caroline, on the other hand, was nervous, and she couldn't stop worrying. Maybe I forgot something home, she told herself.

"Oh! Did you take the medical kit I left on the kitchen's table this morning?" She asked.

"Yes, Caroline, I did." Klaus patiently answered.

"Are you sure? Because I remember it was still there when I left." She insisted.

"I took the medical kit, love." Klaus assured. Caroline was pretty paranoid, and she had put any kind of medicine in the kit, and even some tools she didn't know how to use properly, like syringes. She was terrified by needles.

"Where is it, then?" Caroline suddenly asked.

"I don't know, love, but..."

"How can you be sure you took it if you don't even know where you put it?" Caroline complained, and Klaus rolled his eyes.

"Damn, I forgot the remote control." He growled, making Caroline frown.

"The remote control?" She asked, confused. Klaus turned toward her, and a challenging smile made his lips curve.

"Yes, to turn you off when you speak too much." He teased her. Caroline slightly opened her lips, and she slapped Klaus' cheek, but the slap became softer as her palm hit him. She wasn't really trying to hurt him. Her husband laughed at her face, and he put distance between them, not to get slapped again.

"You misogynistic asshole!" Caroline acted more hurt than she really was.

"Oh, c'mon, sweetheart." Klaus tried to approach Caroline in a sweet way, but the girl moved away, sitting with her back against the car's door, and her legs along the backseat.

"Don't talk to me!" She kept playing her part, cuddling Murphy, who was still trapped in Caroline's loving hug.

"Murphy and I will have a wonderful honeymoon without you. Isn't that right Murphy?" She teased Klaus, who didn't give up, and reached Caroline before she could avoid him again. She laughed, as her husband leaned forward, placing himself between her legs.

"Klaus!" She shouted his name, laughing with him, glancing at the cab's driver when Klaus kissed her neck.

"I'm glad we finally get to spend some time together, far from this city." He whispered at her ear.

"We're not alone." Caroline reminded him in a low tone of voice, as she noticed the driver glancing back at her from the rear-view mirror. She tried to make Klaus stop acting as if they were the only people in the car. Klaus stopped kissing her, just to throw a look at the driver, quickly.

"He's focused on the road, love." In vain, he tried to persuade Caroline, who was still not able to ignore the stranger's presence. As soon as Klaus' lips touched her neck again, and his left hand got between her legs, she pushed him away.

"Oh, c'mon, seriously?" She glared at him. She couldn't believe Klaus would do such an intimate thing before somebody else' eyes, in public. She returned to sitting properly, and she crossed her legs, so as not to give Klaus any wicked fantasy.

"Contain yourself." Her tone was serious, and she looked upset. When she noticed the driver was still looking at her with perversion in his eyes, she felt deeply embarrassed, but she decided not to say anything to Klaus, she knew him well: he would totally lose his mind, and probably beat that guy to death. Nobody could watch his woman like that. Actually, Caroline didn't care about the driver's health, she just didn't want to lose her flight.

Klaus looked through the window as the cab proceeded toward the airport. He didn't talk to Caroline on the way. He looked offended, but Caroline wanted him to understand that he had done something wrong, and that it wasn't her fault this time. It wasn't always her fault. But she was too kind toward Klaus, and she easily forgave him everything he did. She wasn't determined enough to stay mad at him, maybe because she was too in love with him.

When they got to the airport, Caroline avoided the driver, and Klaus paid him his money. They both remained silent while the waited for their flight at the gate. Caroline read a magazine to keep herself busy, and Murphy sat on her lap, remaining quiet. He was a weird cat, and everyone who looked at him thought he was secretly planning a murder. He was extremely quiet.

Every time Klaus met his yellow eyes, he understood the cat knew all his secrets. Thank God he couldn't speak. He liked Murphy, and found it interesting to observe him killing all those little birds on the balcony of the apartment. Once he had caught them, he used to play with them until they died between his paws. Murphy and Klaus were more alike than anyone could imagine.

Only when they occupied their seat, Klaus turned to look at Caroline. She was sitting by the airplane's little, elliptical window. She liked to see the land from a distance when she was flying.

"Are you mad at me?" Klaus asked her. He had the extraordinary ability of making Caroline feel guilty, and he always managed to become the innocent victim of the situations he created.

"No." Caroline said back, without looking him in the eyes. She just didn't want to ruin the honeymoon from the start, and she thought that fighting over stupid things wasn't worth it.

"May I have a kiss, then?" He demanded. Caroline stopped staring at the grey ground from the window, to give her eyes to Klaus. She didn't want to kiss him, because it would mean letting him win, but at the same time she wished she could stop thinking about all the problems that tormented her mind. Perhaps the right thing to do was to enjoy the honeymoon, and ignore the voice in her mind that kept telling her not to trust her husband.

When she kissed him, her lips touched his, gently, and her hand remained on his cheek. The smile she had grew unexpectedly, and Klaus smiled back, even though he knew very well that something was going on in Caroline's mind.

"No sex in public. Never." Caroline told him, when their lips were still close.

"Never?" Klaus asked, almost disappointed.

"Never." Caroline pronounced the word again, in order to make him understand it very well.

She opened her magazine again, and she read the articles for the first part of the flight. Then, after she drank a glass of red wine, she fell asleep against Klaus' shoulder. Luckily for her, the first class' seats were comfortable. Murphy slept on her lap. It was like the airplane's atmosphere let him relax even more. He was an unusual pet. When they landed in Vancouver, Klaus' deep voice woke Caroline up. The girl was still dazed, but she followed her husband. They took their luggage, and they rented a car to reach the Canadian Rockies. Caroline sat by the driver's seat, while Klaus put all their things on the backseat. She crossed her legs, and put her feet against the dashboard.

"Are you sure you know the way?" Caroline asked, as Klaus started driving. "The house is in the middle of nowhere, and I would like to get there before it gets dark." She said, fixing her make up while looking at her reflection in the little mirror she always carried around with her. Klaus smirked, and he gave her the eyes.

"Little red riding hood is afraid to meet the big bad wolf?" He teased her. Caroline faked a little smile.

"I've already met him." She was referring to Klaus. They shared a glance that spoke more than many words. They told each other that they knew there were secrets between them.

"I'd just rather not to get eaten by the whole pack." She added, avoiding Klaus' look. She broke the tension, and returned to fixing her make up.

"Oh, there's no need to worry about that, love. After all, we have a lion." Klaus was speaking of Murphy, who was still sleeping on Caroline's lap.

"Stop making fun of him! He's just tired after the long flight." Caroline held Murphy so tightly that she interrupted his sleep.

Klaus drove along a free road, and Caroline took her camera from her bag. She took some pictures of the sunset, then she shot some of Klaus, who was too focused on the road to realize it.

"Smile." Caroline told him, while the camera covered her face, and her eye looked at Klaus through it. Klaus turned toward her, and he smiled for a brief while, before returning with his eyes on the road.

"Oh, c'mon love, I'm driving." He complained.

"Then what? We must create memories. When we're old, we'll regret these days." Caroline insisted, and she kept shooting under the notes of the songs at the radio. Klaus didn't say anything else, and he let his wife take pictures of him. Photography was one of Caroline's passions.  
>Before the sun went down, they reached a desolate area among the woods. The high trees didn't allow the weak, evening light to filter through their branches, and the peaceful atmosphere was getting creepier as the dark swallowed the place.<p>

"It should be here, somewhere among the trees." Caroline said, carefully looking at the map she was holding in her hands. They were looking for the house they had rented.

"I think we found it." Klaus stopped the car, as he saw the chalet behind some trees. They both looked at the house through the car's window.

"It's like the one in the picture. Just a little more… creepy." Caroline commented. For a moment, she felt like she had just become the main character of a horror movie. Or maybe she had always been so.

"It will be different with sunlight. Let's get inside." Klaus got out the car, and started taking their luggage inside. Caroline stayed in her seat a little longer, and sighed, while her blue eyes still observed the main entrance. When she decided to go, she walked to the porch and took the keys from her bag to open the wooden door. While Klaus took care of the luggage, Caroline looked around herself. The house was welcoming, and not as scary as she had thought.

"It's cold in here." She thought out loud, crossing her arms against her chest, once she put Murphy down.

"I'll get some wood for the fire as soon as I'm done with the luggage." Klaus told her, Caroline smiled.

"What a useful man." She ironically commented. Klaus smirked, and he walked closer, until his arms surrounded Caroline's body. He kissed her lips, and she put her hands on his large, strong shoulders. She smiled, as their lips touched. Klaus moved his hands until they both stopped on Caroline's ass, and she felt his possessive touch. Once his right hand got under her short skirt, his fingers grabbed her panties. Caroline laughed, and she took a step back.

"Klaus!" She rebuked him, pointing her finger at him. "Not yet!" But Klaus moved forward, and he trapped Caroline in his arms. No matter how hard she tried to escape. In the attempt to free herself, she turned to give him her back, while her arms were blocked by his.

"I really can't understand why you wear panties, love." He said, with a smirk stuck on his lips.

"You don't need a reason to wear panties, Klaus. You just wear them!" Caroline said back.

"Well, you're no longer allowed to wear them." He insisted. He was impatient, and, in a rash move, he pulled up her skirt to put his right hand inside her panties. He did it before Caroline could even realize it. She couldn't tolerate his persistence. She didn't know what was happening to her, but she knew she didn't want his hand between her legs, or at least not now.

"Stop it." She murmured, while she kept her legs closed. Klaus was still blocking her arms from moving, and he kissed her neck from behind, as if he didn't notice her tension.

"I said st…" Caroline couldn't finish her sentence, because Klaus pressed his hand against her mouth, not to make her shout. Caroline's heart skipped a beat, and something told her she was in danger. Now, she was utterly alone with Klaus, and he could do to her, to her body, whatever he wanted. Scared, she sank her nails inside the skin of his hand, and when he didn't seem to feel pain, she bit his palm so hard, she felt the taste of his blood in her mouth.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" She shouted at him as soon as he let her go. She turned, to look at him, and she put a distance between them. Klaus seemed wrathful, while he looked at the blood on his hand.

"When I tell you to stop, you stop!" Caroline kept shouting. Klaus suddenly walked toward her, and the distance that kept them divided faded. Caroline thought he was going to hurt her.

"You think there's something wrong with me?" He growled. "Look what you've done!" He showed her his bleeding wound. He was playing the game he always played. He made her feel guilty, and he got rid of his own faults to look like the poor victim.

"Seriously? You're insane! You were about to…" Caroline tried to defend herself.

"What? I was about to give my wife some pleasure?" He interrupted her, speaking close to her face, as he always did when he was angry. Caroline's lips were slightly parted, and she didn't know what to say, exactly. She told herself that maybe she had overreacted, just because lately she didn't trust Klaus.

"You don't trust me anymore. You're afraid of me." Klaus kept insinuating, and Caroline shook her head. "Yes. Yes, you are." He growled.

"You think I'm insane, don't you? Of course you do. That's why you want me to speak to your fucking friend, Stefan. You hope he will fix me!" Klaus was delirious, and he walked nervously around the room, pointing his finger at her to accuse her. Caroline kept shaking her head in dissent. She was so confused, and she was no longer certain about what she should say to defend herself. Klaus was good at manipulating people, he was so good that Caroline couldn't realize if she was falling in one of his tricks.

"Please, stop shouting!" She begged him.

"I won't stop shouting! And I can't be fixed! You married a monster who can't be fixed!" He was so close to her that Caroline was afraid he could easily hurt her – or worse, kill her – without making efforts.

"Yes, you are a monster! You are a beast who takes away from me any piece of happiness, until I remain with nothing but sadness and emptiness! You are my ruin and I would love to hate you, just to free myself from you!" Caroline lost the last bit of patience, and self-control she had left. "And you know what? I think you're deeply insane! I think you're traumatized, and you keep hiding things from me just because you're ashamed of yourself! You are afraid I might see who you really are!" She saw the pain in Klaus' eyes as she spoke. When she finished, she saw some tears in his eyes, and she felt guilty. Maybe she had talked too much. The silence was tense, but Klaus didn't look dangerous anymore. He raised his chin, proudly, and he took a deep breath. He didn't even look her in the eyes.

"I'll go get some wood." He simply said. It was like he wasn't willing to fight anymore. He felt unveiled before the eyes of the woman he loved, and he felt weak. Caroline let him go. Once she remained alone in the empty house, she looked around herself, and she kept thinking about all the horrible things she had said to Klaus. She asked herself if he had really deserved to hear them.

When she tried to turn the TV on, she was surprised to notice it worked. Still, she didn't pay attention to the TV news. She took her phone and she called her mother, just to inform her that they had finally arrived. Liz asked her if everything was fine, since Caroline's voice was still weak. Caroline told her she was just tired after the long trip.

… The body has not be found yet, but the DNA test confirmed that the tongue belongs to the FBI detective Alaric Saltzman, who disappeared mysteriously last evening, between seven and eight. Police are still investigating to identify the kidnapper, or worse, the killer.

Caroline heard the journalist pronouncing Alaric Saltzman's name.

"I'll call you later." She told her mother, and she hung up the phone to listen to the news. The images at the TV showed a picture of the detective, and Caroline felt shivers running up her spine as she understood somebody had cut his tongue. He talked too much, she told herself, and she immediately remembered the time when she had seen the detective leaving her apartment, after he had talked to Klaus. Her husband had never revealed her anything about the talk they had shared. She had many reasons to suspect Klaus, and she felt her legs shaking at the thought of being alone with a killer, in the middle of nowhere.

"Terrible." Suddenly, Klaus' voice interrupted the silence. He was behind her, still by the door, while he held pieces of wood. Caroline's jumped a bit and felt her blood freezing in her veins.

"Oh God." She fixed a lock of hair behind her ear. "I didn't hear you coming."

"I'm sorry." Klaus said, acting as nothing had ever happened between them. He put the wood in the fireplace, while Caroline observed him from the little kitchen.

"Do you… do you think somebody killed him?" She asked him. Klaus didn't look interested, and he appeared so cold, it was hard to blame him of the death of the detective. He wasn't nervous, and he didn't look like somebody who was trying to hide something.

"Who knows?" He said, using a matchstick to light up the fire. "Come here, love. You must be freezing." He extended his hand toward her. Caroline hesitated, but she accepted to walk closer, not to give him any reason to suspect her. She took his hand, and Klaus put himself behind her. She was nervous, and he could feel the tension in every single muscle of her body. He wrapped her in his arms, gently.

"All the people around me are dying. First the lawyer, and now the detective." Caroline's eyes stared at the flames in the fireplace.

"Oh, sweetheart." Klaus' sweet tone made Caroline put her eyes on him. "You must not feel guilty. Remember I'm here for you, no matter what." Caroline looked into his grey eyes. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't trust him anymore. He was so moody, and she was slowly realizing her friends and family were right about Klaus. He was sneaky.

"After all the horrible things I've told you?" She asked, confused. She couldn't understand how he could act like nothing had ever happened. She had seen how much she had hurt him. And now… It was like he had forgotten all her terrible words. Klaus suddenly smiled in response.

"I know you spoke like that just because you were mad at me, love. I understand. After all, I'm a merciful man." And what if Caroline truly meant all the things she had said? Klaus wanted to convince himself she didn't, otherwise the pain would be too much. Caroline kept staring at his eyes, and she wondered how many things he was hiding from her. Maybe she wasn't ready to find out who he really was. Maybe, sometimes living in a beautiful lie was better than facing a horrible truth.

When Caroline faked a smile, Klaus smiled back.

"Yes, I was just mad." She played his same game. A part of her was genuinely sorry for all the bad things she had shouted at his face. After all, he was still a good husband, and he took care of her as if she was the only thing he had. Plus, Caroline's gentle nature forced her to find good in every person. She didn't believe Klaus was evil, she just believed he needed to be helped.

Caroline kept telling herself her husband was innocent. She told herself Klaus would never be able to kill a man. Perhaps, she wouldn't believe the contrary, not even if she saw him murdering someone with her own eyes.

"Let me take a look to your hand." She took his wounded hand, and she saw the blood. She had marked his skin with her teeth, and the wound looked painful. "Does it hurt?" She asked him. Klaus shook his head in response.

"It's a beautiful pain, love. I deserve to feel it." Klaus told her. Caroline frowned, and she gave him a confused glance.

"Why are you saying this?" She asked.

"Because I harmed you." He explained. Caroline sighed, and she wondered how Klaus could change so easily. First he looked like a bloodthirsty monster, and now he was so good and innocent.

"Nobody should respond to violence with violence. Now, sit." Caroline said. While she made Klaus sit on the couch, she went looking for the medical kit in one of the bags. Once she found it, she took care of Klaus' wound. She sat by his side, and Klaus observed the focused expression stuck on her beautiful face. When Caroline heard journalists on the TV speaking again of Alaric Saltzman, she stood up in a sudden move, to turn the TV off. Klaus remained seated, and he took Caroline's hand. She jumped a bit as she felt his touch.

"You're upset, sweetheart." He noticed in a whisper. Caroline felt trapped in a cage. How could she keep lying to him, just to hide from him all her concerning doubts?

"No, I just… I'm tired." She tried to avoid his questions.

"You're always tired." Klaus insisted. Caroline kept avoiding his look, but Klaus didn't let her hand go.

"I think there are problems between us, Klaus." She finally said. Klaus looked confused, at first. Caroline was afraid he would lose his mind again, but he still looked calm.

"Let's talk about it, then." He proposed. When he patted his hand on his leg, to tell Caroline to sit on his lap, she did it. Slowly, she sat, and Klaus surrounded her with his arms. Even though she could easily see his face from her position, she was afraid to get tricked by his manipulator look. Klaus put a lock of Caroline's hair behind her ear, with care.

"You know you can tell me whatever you think, love." He insisted. Caroline still looked insecure.

"Lately… I feel like I don't know you. You're keeping secrets from me, and don't think I'm stupid. I know there's something you're trying to hide." She finally found the courage to look him in the eyes. "Don't lie to me." She shook her head.

"I'm just trying to protect you." Klaus told her. Caroline sighed.

"I don't need your protection. I need to know who I married." She insisted.

"No, you don't." Klaus kept trying to preserve her.

"Klaus, please." Caroline begged him.

"The only thing you need to know is that I love you, and I would never hurt you." Klaus took her face, and his fingers made her turn toward him, so that he could put his grey eyes inside hers.

"No, you would never hurt_ me_." She repeated his words. She almost felt the tears in her eyes, as she realized he was telling her something she had tried to ignore all along. He would never hurt her, but what about other people?  
><em>He killed them<em>. She told herself, staring at an imprecise point of the wooden floor. Now some salty tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she felt their taste as they reached the sides of her mouth.

"Don't. Don't cry." Klaus took her face in his hands.

"I knew it." Caroline kept crying in fear.

"No. You didn't, and you don't. Do you understand, Caroline?" He placed his strong hands on her shoulders, and his tone became harsh. Caroline freed herself from his grasp, and she tried to stand up to walk further, but Klaus instantly blocked her from taking another step. His arms pulled her back against his chest, and Caroline found herself seated on his lap, again. Klaus was holding her tightly. The strength in his dangerous hug almost gave her pain.

"Let go of me." Caroline cried out, and she fought to get rid of his arms, that were still surrounding her.

"No." He growled, close to her ear. Once she managed to move, she slapped him more than once, but Klaus always grabbed her wrists, to block her from hitting him.

"You ruined us! You ruined everything!" She shouted at him. Klaus had broken all her dreams, and now she couldn't live the happy life she had always wanted. Klaus placed himself on the top of her, once he threw her fragile body against the couch. Caroline almost gave up, as she felt all the strengths abandoning her.

"I did it to protect you." He growled. Caroline tried to kick him, but Klaus kept her spread legs from moving, since his body was placed between them. Every single one of her vain attempts of escaping, were a source of arousal for Klaus.

"You're insane!" Caroline accused him, right before Klaus pressed his lips against hers in an intrusive kiss. Caroline closed her eyes, and for a brief moment she enjoyed the sensation of Klaus' tongue moving aggressively inside her mouth. Then, she bit his lower lip, and the taste of his blood invaded her before he raised his chest, placing his hand on his lips, in pain. Caroline took the chance to run away from him, and she climbed the stairs while her heart was about to explode in her chest.

"Caroline!" Klaus shouted her name, and he chased her. Caroline was afraid he would do something horrible to her, even though he had promised her he would never hurt her. She ran toward one of the rooms, and she tried to close and lock the door before Klaus could reach it. But he was too close, and when Caroline shut the door, Klaus put his hand in the small opening. He felt his bones cracking, and he screamed and growled in pain. Yet, his own hand had kept the door from closing, and when he opened it in a push, Caroline took some steps back, until her back touched the opposite wall of the bedroom.

"You like it rough, hmm?" Klaus massaged his hand. In response, Caroline grabbed a table lamp, and she threw it against him. Klaus avoided it, and the object crashed against the door, before falling.

"You are a murderer!" She accused him, taking a step ahead.

"And you love it, don't you?" Klaus teased her, walking toward her, until there was no distance left between them. Suddenly, before she could even answer, Klaus sunk his fingers among Caroline's blonde hair. He held them tightly, and he kissed her vigorously. Caroline pushed him away, but her hands pressed against his chest were weak. Did she really want to avoid his touch?

He guided her toward the bed, and Caroline didn't oppose any resistance. Klaus made her turn in a rash effort, and when her back touched his chest, he tore her shirt in two pieces. When he pushed her, Caroline attenuated the fall by placing her hands on the bed. She was on all fours, just as Klaus wanted. She knew how much he liked it that way. He knelt behind her, and he pulled up her skirt, before to pull down her panties. She was almost utterly naked, and so exposed to him, she felt vulnerable.

Caroline felt dirty as she realized how much she enjoyed being treated like that by him. The sense of guilt became unbearable. Klaus was insane, and he did things without realizing how wrong they were. But everything changed when it came to her. She was mentally stable – or so she had always thought – and she was consciously embracing the darkness.

Klaus undid his belt and trousers, and he pulled his boxers down before Caroline could react. A sudden stab made Caroline moan as Klaus shoved his cock inside her wet, tight walls. His hands grabbed her hips, and he made her move fast, as they gradually found their rhythm.

Klaus' eyes were filled with lust, and his bleeding lips were parted. Caroline's hands held the white blankets tightly, so tightly she might break them. The tears were dry on her cheeks, and she felt guilty for not suffering. She had just learnt the horrible truth about her husband's real identity, and she was letting him fuck her as though she was perfectly fine with the idea of him killing people. When she closed her eyes, she tried to keep all the thoughts far from the lucid part of her conscience, and she abandoned herself to the pleasure.

Klaus wrapped his right arm around her waist, and he drew Caroline toward himself, till her back collided against his chest. He just wanted to feel her closer. His breath blew against Caroline's cheek, and Caroline put both her arms behind Klaus' neck. Her hands touched his curls, while her man's fingers massaged her breast, after he had uncovered it by pulling down her bra.

Klaus had stopped moving, but Caroline could feel his length still inside of her. It was pleasing sensation, and it made her feel whole. She wasn't ready to renounce all of it. She wasn't ready to renounce her husband, even if he was a murderer. She turned her face a bit, and she felt Klaus' breathing on her parted lips. Caroline caressed the side of his warm face, she did it slowly.

Klaus' free hand touched Caroline's stomach, trapping her in his grasp. Suddenly, when he pushed her away, she fell on the bed.

"Take off your clothes." He ordered her, and he passed the back of his hand on his lower lip, to clean it from the blood. Caroline did as Klaus told her, and she did it quickly, just to feel him back inside of her sooner. She let him admire her nudity, and opening her legs, she invited him between them. Klaus smirked, while his hands passed slowly along Caroline's thighs.

When he grabbed her ankles, he made her ass slip along the bed, to pull her closer to him. Caroline's heart skipped a beat. She found herself lying completely undefended. Klaus was still knelt, and he placed the tip of his hard cock at her entrance, before he entered her in a slow push. Caroline felt every inch of him filling her, and she abandoned herself to a shameless moan.

As Klaus let the weight of his body prevail on Caroline's, his rhythm became faster. Caroline's legs were open for him, and she couldn't spread them any wider. Their hands touched, and their fingers crossed, while their lips met in passionate kisses.

Caroline's moans became louder, even though she tried to contain herself. The pleasure became too much. Her voice didn't help Klaus controlling his impulses, and he got on the edge when he felt Caroline's walls contract around him. He stopped trying so hard not to come, and he remained inside of her, filling her with his plentiful release. He let his head fall between Caroline's shoulder and neck. His wife caressed his light brown hair, and she breathed fast along with him.

As her mind returned lucid, she felt a little less guilty than before. She still thought her husband was insane and needed help, but she wasn't ready to make him pay for what he had done. Maybe he deserved to end up in jail for all the crimes he had committed, but accusing him of murder meant to renounce the happy life she had always wanted. Caroline wanted to protect him from anyone and anything, and Klaus felt like a vulnerable child in her arms. He needed her protection.

After long minutes of silence in which Klaus enjoyed Caroline's maternal attentions, he decided to speak.

"Are you going to tell the police?" He asked her. Caroline looked down to meet his eyes, while his head was placed on her shoulder, his hand touched her uncovered breast. She passed her fingers though his hair, once again, in a sweet caress.

"No." She said back, in a whisper. She refused to lose her husband, along with everything they had built together. She refused to let anyone else win, by confirming them Klaus was as mad as they had always thought. Caroline believed she deserved to be happy, and she wouldn't find happiness by sending the man she loved behind the bars of a cold jail.

Klaus returned enjoying Caroline's cuddles, silently, and he closed his eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>Hello readers! Finally, Caroline knows everything. I didn't want to keep the truth hidden from her any longer, because she's not dumb, and she had already suspected about Klaus in the previous chapters. From now on, she will do her best to protect Klaus, because she truly believes there is good in him.<strong>

**Soon, you will find out new things about Klaus' past. **

**Let me know your thoughts in a review!**


	7. VII chapter

********Warnings: the following story contains explicit and violent content. Don't read if you can't handle.********

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><p><strong>Behind the veil<strong>

_VII_

_Two years earlier:_

Caroline was waiting for Klaus in her apartment. She was terribly nervous, not only because she was waiting to receive a stranger in her own house, but also because she didn't know what to except from herself. Klaus made her act differently than usual. He was so charming, that Caroline didn't need to trust him to let him see what she kept inside her little world. Her home represented her personality, her story, and somehow she was impatient for Klaus to see it.

The time passed slowly, and the clock seemed to be stuck on the same hour since hours. The only question Caroline asked herself was where Klaus was. The sun had already faded, and dinner time had passed. Usually, Caroline noticed Klaus' presence outside her bedroom's window around midnight. He used to stay there, in the street, all night long.

"Bonnie, there's something you should know." Caroline started, as she spoke to her best friend through the phone. She sounded concerned, and Bonnie easily recognised it.

"What?" She asked. Caroline took a deep breath, preparing herself to hear her friend's scolding for her lack of common sense.

"Do you remember the guy I told you about?" Caroline began.

"The stalker?" Bonnie asked, making Caroline roll her eyes.

"He's not a stalker." She defended Klaus.

"Of course he is. He follows you everywhere you go, he spies on you and he sends you creepy presents. I'm honestly worried for you."

"Klaus is just trying to be nice in his own way, Bonnie." Caroline insisted.

"The creepy guy is Klaus, now?"

"Listen, I met him today at the graveyard and he apologized. He told me he didn't mean to scare me."

"He followed you to the graveyard? Jesus, Caroline, you must do something about it. Call the police, get a restraining order."

"I invited him to come over to my apartment. Tonight. I'm waiting for him." Caroline finally spoke. She was sitting on the couch, with a hand covering her face. A part of her was ashamed of her own actions, because she knew exactly what kind of things Bonnie and Elena would tell her.

"You did what?" Bonnie sounded upset.

"Please, Bonnie, don't judge me! He's handsome, charming..."

"He's a psycho!" Bonnie interrupted Caroline before she proceeded in her description of Klaus.

"How can you say that? You don't even know him." Caroline said back in her defence.

"And neither do you. You have no idea who this guy is. He could be anyone, or anything, and you've invite him into your house after he spied on you through a damn window for weeks?"

"I promise you I'll be careful, Bonnie." Caroline guaranteed her, and she heard her sighing.

"Try at least not to have sex with him, okay?" Caroline's silence suggested her fantasies weren't pure. She had already dreamed about having sex with Klaus. He was so handsome, it was impossible not to dream about having a reckless, long night of rough sex with him.

"Caroline?" Bonnie called her name to get an answer.

"Ok, I promise." Caroline tried to sound convincing.

"Well." Bonnie said. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Caroline's heart skipped a beat.

"He's here. I have to go." She jumped on her feet, taking her time before opening the door.

"Call me as soon as he leaves. Or... call me if anything goes wrong."

"Don't worry for me, Bon. I'll see you tomorrow." Caroline hung up the phone and threw it on the table before walking fast toward the mirror. She looked at her reflection to make sure she looked perfect. The doorbell rang again, and Caroline walked on her high heels to get to the door. When she opened it, she saw Klaus. He was hiding both his hands behind his back, and a sneaky smiled appeared on his face, as his dark, blue eyes met hers. He looked at her lips, and he noticed she was wearing a red lipstick. She was wearing it for him.

"Hello, Caroline." He said. The sound of his voice made Caroline's legs tremble.

"Hi." She said in a weak whisper, in response.

"May I come in?" Klaus asked, and he took a step ahead. Caroline nodded, then she stepped back to give him the space to get into her apartment. Klaus looked around himself, as Caroline shut the door behind her back.

"Ehm... would you like something to drink?" Caroline asked him. Klaus was focused observing all the pictures she kept on a shelf. That living room was full of memories.

"No, thank you." He responded, and he turned to look at her. A smile made his lips curve, again, as he saw her feminine, sexy figure.  
>"Nice shoes." He commented her high heels. Caroline looked down at her shoes, still feeling extremely nervous.<p>

"Thank you." She said back. Klaus returned to looking around, and began walking around the room. The place was small, but welcoming.

"So, you live here all alone." He started. She nodded, staying still, not far from the door.

"Yes. This apartment is way too small to be shared, but I like it. Plus, it's not far from the campus." She explained.

"Right. You're a law student." Klaus remembered, and he leafed through the pages of a book Caroline had left on the table. He read a few lines, and he got he was reading some boring rules.

"Do you really find it interesting?" He asked her. Caroline finally found the courage to walk closer to him, and she took the book from the table, to hold it in her hand.

"This is the United States constitution. And yes, I like to be aware of the rules of my country in order to defend those who need to be defended." She explained. Klaus focused on her red lips. The way they moved while she talked was sexy. He smiled, when she finished talking, and he glanced down, after he briefly licked his own lips.

"I like that you're wearing nice clothes for me." He revealed to her. Caroline tried hard not to glance down. She kept looking into his blue eyes, and she controlled her breathing.

"I'm not wearing nice clothes for you." She said back.

"Yes you are sweetheart." Klaus insisted.

"I'm wearing them to feel confident with myself." Caroline corrected him.

"Does the red lipstick make you feel confident with yourself?" He whispered his answer. Caroline wasn't surprised he had noticed it.

"Yes." She admitted, seeing they were closer than she had thought.

"Do you feel beautiful?" Klaus asked her. Caroline couldn't understand where he was trying to go. She was so distracted by his full, kissable lips.

"Yes." She answered in a soft tone.

"Good." Klaus' hand touched her rosy cheek, he felt how warm her soft skin was. "You should feel beautiful. Always." He said. Caroline's eyes were staring into his. It was like an inexplicable force wouldn't let her escape from Klaus' deep, intense look. She forgot about the promise she had made to Bonnie. The one in which she promised she would not have sex with Klaus. She couldn't keep her word, not this time.

When her lips met Klaus', she realized she had made the first move. Usually, she always let guys do it. She had never chosen to kiss one of them, and she had always kept herself from doing it. This time was different. Klaus responded to the kiss. He moved his lips on Caroline's, who opened them as she felt the tip of his tongue pressing against them. Klaus' arms wrapped around her body, and they kept her so close to him, it was like he wasn't willing to let her escape. Even if she had no intention to escape. Caroline's fingers held Klaus' jacket sleeves. Her hands were placed on his strong arms, and she could feel his muscles. Their kiss turned into a sequence of passionate kisses. Caroline's legs were weak, but Klaus was holding her tightly, and she felt safe in the arms of a stranger.

When Klaus pushed her against the table, to make her sit, Caroline opposed herself to his impetus.

"Not here." She told him. Then, she took his hand to lead him to her bedroom. They didn't even turn the light on. As she stepped in, she turned toward Klaus, who assailed her lips and body again. They undressed each other on the bed, while Caroline lay under Klaus, and they let the passion guide their actions in their first night of love. It felt so right and wrong at the same time. They barely knew each other, and it was like they had been together since a life time. Klaus knew exactly what Caroline liked, and he pleased her in ways that Caroline had never experienced. She had never found in a man the same devotion Klaus had for her. When he kissed her, his lips obsessively tasted her skin, and he hoped those moments would never end. He craved every inch of her body.

Sex went on through the whole night. Time wasn't a dimension anymore, it was like the world around them had stopped for a while. When the blue light of the dawn swallowed Caroline's room, the girl was lying in bed, exhausted and confused. Her barely open eyes saw Klaus raising his chest to sit on the edge of the bed. She felt him moving, and she observed the muscles of his bare back.

"Are you leaving?" Caroline asked in a whisper. She understood that maybe they both weren't ready to sleep together.

"You should sleep, sweetheart." Klaus didn't answer her question, but his actions suggested he was about to leave. He took his clothes from the floor and began to dress himself. Caroline didn't insist because her tiredness didn't let her keep her eyes open any longer. When Klaus finished getting dressed, he turned to look at Caroline, and he saw her sleeping like an innocent, bright angel.

* * *

><p><em>Present:<em>

Caroline opened her eyes, and when she did it, she saw nothing but darkness. Something was keeping her from seeing, and as soon as she completely woke up from her sleep, she realized something was also keeping her from moving. A blindfold covered her eyes, and some hard, rough ropes kept her wrists tied to the bed, over her head. She was utterly naked, she could feel the cold air hitting her bare skin. She tried hard to free herself from the ropes that locked her to the bed, she began to breathe heavily.

"Klaus!" She shouted her husband's name. She didn't know what to think, or do. Perhaps, somebody had hurt Klaus and tied her to rape her. Maybe she was in danger. She was confused, and terribly scared of what might happen. No matter how hard she tried to get rid of the ropes around her wrists, whenever she did it, the pain grew stronger. She supposed she had been in the same position for hours, because her bones ached.

"Klaus!" She screamed again.

"I'm here, love." His deep voice made her tremble, and her heart skipped a beat. He was there, in the room, but he was far. Caroline couldn't understand where he was, exactly, and she began to move her head, trying to look around herself. She saw nothing but darkness.

"Where are you?" She asked, and she heard the noise of steps getting closer. As she felt the bed curving under the weight of Klaus, she felt him moving toward her. Klaus knelt on the bed, and he placed one of his cold hands on Caroline's cheek. The girl jumped a bit.

"It's alright, sweetheart." He whispered, to make her calm down.

"What are you doing?" Caroline's tone indicated she wasn't calm at all. She was nervous, scared, almost terrified. Klaus smiled in response, and he didn't move from his position. His hand kept caressing the side of her face, slowly, and his fingers played with one of her blonde locks.

"Nobody is going to get hurt, sweetheart. It's just an innocent game." He assured.

"What? Untie me, please." Caroline tried to get rid of the ropes, once again.

"Ah-ah." He rebuked her. "This is not part of the game."

"Klaus, please." Caroline's trembling voice began to beg him. She was afraid he might hurt her, now that she knew his secret, now that she knew he was a murderer. Klaus smirked, and Caroline heard his laugh some moments later.

"Shh shh, there's no need to be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you. You know I would never hurt my sweet wife." His fingers grabbed her chin, and Caroline held back the tears. Maybe he was just playing a game, and he truly had no intention of harming her. Maybe she was nothing but the subject of another one of his pervert fantasies.

"Is it just… a game?" Caroline asked. Klaus smiled.

"Yes, love. Nothing but a game." He guaranteed her.

"You didn't ask me if I wanted to play." She made him notice, and the smile faded from his face.

"You're going to like it anyway." He said back, aggressively. She felt him moving, and getting out of bed to walk around the room. She could hear the noise of his slow steps. He was walking in circle, around the bed. Somehow, she could also feel his eyes staring at her nude body. She felt so vulnerable.

"Stop trying to free yourself, you won't make it. I made sure the ropes were resistant. Therefore, I suggest you to stay quiet, or you'll hurt yourself." Klaus spoke again.

"Anything we'll do or say will be filmed. There are cameras around the room, and they're filming us in this precise moment. As you said, sweetheart, we must create memories of us, because someday we'll regret these days. Don't you agree?" He asked. Caroline was shocked by his perversion, but something hidden deep inside of her, enjoyed all of it.

"Yes." She weakly said back.

"Good." Klaus smiled proudly.

"Would you mind opening your legs, Caroline?" He demanded. She heard him grabbing something, something she couldn't see.

"What?" She asked, confused by his request.

"Do as I said." Klaus didn't repeat himself, and this time his tone became harsh. Caroline felt humiliated, but went along with Klaus' wishes. She spread her legs, and she felt shivers running across her body, because of the cold. Klaus smirked, satisfied.

"Good girl." He became sweet again. Caroline heard other noises. A camera was shooting pictures of her, and she blushed as she realized that. Klaus was immortalizing her beauty by capturing it in some shoots. He photographed every particularity of her naked body, from her tied hands to her hard, swollen breasts, and then her delicious intimacy.

"I believe you're already wet for me, aren't you?" Klaus' question made her blush again, and she felt even more ashamed of herself.

"I am." She admitted after a few moments of hesitation. Klaus smiled, and he moved forward.

"Allow me to check personally." He said, and he quickly spread Caroline's legs a little wider, right before sinking two fingers inside her tight entrance. Caroline sighed in surprise, and she curved her chest a little, but the ropes around her wrists kept her from making big moves. Klaus' laugh made her blush even more, and when he extracted his fingers from her, she felt terribly empty.

"Lovely." He commented, and he licked Caroline's fluid away from his fingers.

"Are you hungry, or thirsty sweetheart?" He asked. It seemed he really cared about her conditions. Caroline shook her head in response.

"Well, you'll eat anyway." He responded. Caroline knew she had no choice. She heard him moving around the room, and when he left, she tried to free herself from the rope again. He came back too soon.

"What have I told you about the rope, love?" He rebuked her. Caroline didn't say anything in her defence. Klaus sat on the bed, by her side, and Caroline heard the noise of a fork hitting a dish. When Klaus put the fork by Caroline's lips, she opened them to eat. It was a small bite, and it must be eggs. Maybe, it was her breakfast. He made her wait, before offering her another bite. He made her eat slowly, to admire carefully every movement of her throat as she swallowed her food.

"Now, drink some water." He told her, and he leaned the glass to her lips. Caroline didn't complain, and she silently obeyed. As she drank the water, she suddenly felt its bitter taste. She stopped drinking, and she turned her head on one side.

"What did you put in…"Before she could finish her question, she felt dizzy. She wondered what was happening to her. "What…" She murmured, her heart began to beat faster.

"It's alright, Caroline." Klaus' calm tone didn't help her. For a moment, she feared he had poisoned her water. But why would he do it? She felt so confused, and she felt the need to puke. But before she could do, or say anything, she had already fallen into a deep sleep.

His wife was fine, Klaus perfectly knew it. He had poured drugs into her glass, to put her asleep.

"Sleeping like a baby." He whispered, as his finger drew a line down the side of her warm, soft face. Something in his mind had told him to have sex with Caroline, while she was in a state of unconsciousness. Why? There wasn't a specific reason, but it was impossible for Klaus not to hear that voice. He was nothing but the slave of his darkest desires.

He put the empty plate on the bedside table, and he admired Caroline's beauty for a while, silently. The cameras were still filming, when he unzipped his jeans and put himself on the top of Caroline, between her legs. She was completely unconscious. So unable to move, that she looked dead. Klaus' wicked imagination enjoyed her vulnerability, it made him feel in control.

He pulled down his jeans and pants, quickly, and he wasn't gentle when he shoved his pulsing manhood inside Caroline. He didn't even try not to hurt her, because she couldn't feel pain, nor pleasure. He had turned her into an object, just to satisfy his egoistic, sinful desires. He began to move fast, hitting her aggressively every time he slightly pulled out his cock from her, just to push it back inside. Caroline was so tight, that her walls barely adjusted to Klaus' size. She would scream in pain, if only she could.

Klaus kept satisfying his needs. When he came inside of her, he let his release fill her until the last drop. Some of it fell on Caroline's inner thigh, as proof of their consummation. Klaus didn't mind to remove it from her skin, he had no interest in hiding the traces of his actions. Once he stood by the bed, he fixed his messy, curly hair and clothes. He left the room, leaving Caroline alone and unconscious in bed. He didn't turn the cameras off.

When Caroline woke up, she felt terribly cold. Nothing around her could suggest to her what part of the day it was. Everything was dark because of the blindfold around her eyes. Her headache was all she felt. No noises, no smells. She didn't know if Klaus was still in the room. Once again, she tried to get rid of the ropes around her wrists, but she felt pain. Maybe she had cut her own skin, by trying to free herself.

"You finally woke up." Klaus' voice interrupted the silence, and it made Caroline's heart beat fast.

"What…" She whispered.

"What?" He repeated, waiting for her to proceed.

"What did you do to me?" She asked, in fear.

"I made love to you while you were unconscious, sweetheart." He explained, without hiding the truth. Caroline wasn't shocked. She wasn't horrified. After all the time she had spent with Klaus, she knew she had to expect anything from him. He was a murderer, he was a criminal, he was a psychopath. But she loved him, and that was her biggest fault, and weakness.

"I don't want to play anymore." She begged him. She wanted him to stop, before the game became dangerous, perhaps extreme. Klaus laughed hysterically, and his laugh made Caroline tremble.

"Want to stop already? I thought we had just begun." He sounded sarcastic. He was making fun of her, and she hated it.

"Klaus, please." She felt tears in her eyes. They didn't stream down her cheeks, because the blindfold stopped them from leaving her eyes. Seeing her so scared, Klaus waked forward, and he sat on the bed, beside Caroline. He placed a hand on her cheek.

"It's alright. There's no need to cry. I'm here with you, and I'm not going to hurt you. It's just a game, remember?" He kept repeating those words, without realizing he had already hurt her.

"I don't want to play." Caroline insisted, in a trembling tone.

"Yes, you do." His face became tense, serious. Klaus didn't like it when people contradicted him.

"You drugged me. You raped me." Caroline was shaking from fear. "You're going to kill me." She sounded desperate. Klaus shook his head.

"I didn't rape you." He growled in response. Caroline was trying to free her wrists from the ropes, but any attempt gave her pain.

"Stop. You're hurting yourself." Klaus grabbed her arms, keeping her from moving them. Caroline wondered how he could be so caring, and ruthless at the same time. He wanted her not to hurt herself, but he had just drugged her to fuck her while she was unable to react.

"I didn't fucking rape you, do you understand me?" His growl made her tremble. Why did he care so much about what she thought he had done to her? Caroline didn't stop crying, and Klaus felt terribly guilty. He didn't want Caroline to suffer because of him, but he couldn't ignore the voice in head. He couldn't control his darkest side.

"Now, stop crying, love." Caroline tried to do as Klaus said. She controlled her breathing, she tried to hold back the tears. Klaus saw her chest moving slower.

"Good girl." He whispered, and his hand caressed her cheek again.

"My wrists hurt. My whole body hurts. I'm cold." Caroline admitted in a weak tone of voice. Klaus sighed.

"I will untie you for tonight, if you promise me you won't do anything stupid." He told her. Caroline hoped he wasn't fooling her.

"I promise." She said. Klaus took her wrists, and he calmly untied her. Caroline could finally move her arms again, and she felt free. He also took away the blindfold from her sweet, scared eyes. As she returned to be able to see again, she immediately saw her naked body, and she felt so vulnerable that she crossed her arms to her chest, and she bent her legs, almost to cover herself. Klaus smiled softly.

"Now, let me see your wrists." He demanded, and he waited for Caroline to give him her hands. He checked those red marks around her wrists with care. They would soon turn into bruises. Caroline observed him, asking herself how he could be so sweet and dangerous at the same time. Who was the real Klaus?

"Look what you've done to yourself." He rebuked her, calmly, as if the bruises were her own fault. Caroline looked at the camera before her. It was still filming, and she felt terribly ashamed.

"Let's medicate them, shall we?" Klaus stood by the bed, and he extended his hand toward Caroline, waiting for her to hold it. "Come, I'll prepare you a warm bath." Caroline didn't take his hand. She grabbed the white sheet off of the bed and covered her nudity.

"I can do it myself." She responded harshly, while she stood on her feet. Before she could take a single step toward the bathroom, Klaus grabbed her arm.

"I insist." His dark, blue eyes stared into his wife's. "I'll take care of you." He asserted. Caroline could refuse his help. She could slap him in the face, run away from him and call for help. But nothing guaranteed her she would succeed in the attempt. Fighting Klaus meant to return tied to the damn bed, with a blindfold around her eyes.

"Okay." She whispered, and she felt Klaus' fingers become gentle around her arm. A satisfied smile showed up on his face. He liked to take care of her.

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><p><strong>Hi guys! I'd like to wish you a wonderful new year. I hope you enjoyed your Christmas holidays.<strong>

**As usual, remember to REVIEW. More reviews: faster update.**

**Ilaria.**


	8. VIII chapter

******Warnings: the following story contains explicit and violent content. Don't read if you can't handle.******

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><p><strong>Behind the veil<strong>

_VIII_

Caroline never looked Klaus in the eyes. She was staring at the warm water that surrounded her vulnerable body in the bathtub. Klaus hadn't filled it completely, just in order to leave Caroline's chest unveiled. His mind was inappropriately wicked. His touch was still gentle, and the sponge he was holding slowly stroked Caroline's wet skin. The sound of the water streaming down along her back, until every drop crashed gently against the water that filled the bathtub, was the only sound in the room.

"You're silent." Klaus noticed, as he was still taking good care of Caroline. His gentleness confused her. She wished he could be always sweet, or always mad. This way, it would be easier to love or hate him. Caroline didn't say anything back. Her silence teased Klaus' nerves. He didn't like to be ignored. Plus, she was making him feel guilty.

"Look at me, love." He insisted, and his fingers grabbed Caroline's chin. He forced her to look him in the eyes. The black make up she was wearing was messy around her blue eyes, and her light seemed to have vanished away. She looked tired, sad. Klaus stared into her eyes, and he felt the disgust she harbored for him. Caroline escaped from the touch of his fingers after she glared at him, and she returned to glancing down at the water, with her arms crossed around her knees and her back curved.

"I didn't mean to hurt you." Klaus told her. Caroline knew he wasn't lying, she could hear guilt in his tone. The problem was that Klaus never realized when it was time to stop. He didn't know how to control himself, because he didn't know the limits.

"Don't do it again." Caroline's feeble voice said. Then, she glanced up at him. "Don't you dare to hurt me, be disrespectful, or raise a hand to me again, or I'll tell the police everything, and I'll make sure you spend the rest of your days in jail." She threatened him. Caroline knew all his darkest secrets, and it would be easy for her to send Klaus to prison, yet she loved him too much to desire such a horrible fate for him. Klaus looked sorry, and he extended his hand to caress Caroline's cheek.

"Caroline…" He tried to say, but she was tired of his tricks. She avoided his touch, even though it was hard to refuse the gentle touches of the man she loved.

"Stop it. Stop being so loving, and caring." Caroline held back the tears, and she returned avoiding his look. Klaus insisted, and he placed his hand on Caroline's cheek.

"I made a mistake, forgive me." He said. Caroline sceptically smiled and rolled her eyes. She didn't realize she was already crying.

"A mistake." She repeated his words. "You drugged and raped your wife. You call it a mistake? Was killing two innocent men also a mistake?" Caroline raised her voice, and she found the courage to face Klaus.

"Don't talk about the murders." Klaus growled.

"Why?" Caroline asked out loud. "Nobody will hear us, we're in the middle of nowhere!" She insisted. Suddenly, Klaus pressed his hands on her mouth, and Caroline sunk her nails inside his skin. She scratched the back of his hands, but Klaus didn't let her go.

"You don't talk about it. Never!" He shouted. Caroline managed to get rid of his hands and slapped Klaus across the face before he did anything else. Then, she moved back, until her back touched the farthest corner of the bathtub. She hid her face in her arms and began to cry, while Klaus touched his aching cheek. He let her cry for a while, and he remained silent.

"I'm on the edge of a nervous breakdown, and it's all because of you. You take away all my strength, Klaus. How can you not see it? How can you not see how much I love you? I'm fighting for you, I'm fighting against my values to stay by your side, and protect you. But you keep taking all my efforts for granted. You say I'm the one who doesn't trust you, but it's not true. I'm still here, because I trust you enough to believe you when you say you won't kill me. You're the one who refuses to talk about our problems. You're the one who still can't trust me, after all I've done for you." The tears streamed down her already wet cheeks, but Caroline tried to breathe deeply, to let the words leave her mouth. Klaus glanced down. He knew all she was saying was true, but things were more complicated than that.

"What is it that you want to know?" He suddenly asked her, without looking at her. It was like he was ashamed of himself.

"Everything." Caroline said back. "Why did you kill those men? How did you do it? Why do I still not know anything about your past, your family?" Klaus sighed.

"Let's have some coffee, shall we?" He asked. Caroline nodded slowly. Perhaps, it would be more appropriate to discuss it in front a cup of coffee. Klaus stood up, and he extended to Caroline a white towel in which she wrapped her naked body. Her hair was still wet, and it looked darker than usual, but she didn't care. She followed Klaus to the kitchen and sat while he started preparing coffee. The sky was getting brighter outside, as the morning came.

"Would you like milk, sweetheart?" Klaus asked her.

"Yes, thank you." She responded. Then, she grabbed her bag and she looked for her phone. She wasn't surprised, when she noticed the battery had died. Klaus poured some milk in her coffee, then he gave her the cup. He sat before Caroline, holding his hot cup in his hands. Caroline noticed all the scratches, the bruises and the imprint of her teeth on Klaus' hands. She felt guilty, even though Klaus had deserved all of it. She put sugar in her coffee, but Klaus didn't. He liked it dark and bitter.

"How many people have you killed?" Her answer made him hesitate. His silence made her sigh. Suddenly, she put her hand on Klaus' one, and her thumb stroked it, softly. Klaus didn't know how to react to her kindness. Caroline was so good that he thought he didn't deserve her.

"Klaus, I want to protect you, and in order to do so, I need to know the truth." She insisted. She wasn't talking only as his wife, but also as his lawyer.

"Three." He responded after a few, brief moments of utter silence. Caroline's heart skipped a beat. Who was the third one?

"Tell me who they were." She demanded, trying hard to remain fearless and emotionless. Klaus kept staring at his coffee, while uncomfortable and painful memories came to his mind.

"Esther Mikaelson. The lawyer. Alaric Saltzman." He finally revealed. Caroline's lips were slightly parted. Klaus had killed his own mother.

"W-why did you kill your mother?" She asked him. Klaus didn't say anything back. He wasn't ready to talk about it, and Caroline couldn't do anything to change it. She had to respect his will, and be grateful of the fact that he had finally admitted the truth.

"Alright. Tell me about the lawyer and the detective, then. Why them?"

"I killed the lawyer for you. To make you win the most important trial of your career. The night of his death, Stefan and Elena saw me in the French Quarter. I was there while you were sleeping. I killed the lawyer in his hotel room, and I made the murder look like a mistake. I injected a substantial quantity of cocaine into his veins, to cover any trace of poison in his blood. Alaric Saltzman was investigating the lawyer's case, and he had come to know uncomfortable truths that put me in a dangerous position, that's why he had to be eliminated. I snapped his neck and I burnt his body. I cut his tongue to leave a message. He talked too much." Klaus didn't show any sign of remorse. He looked Caroline right in the eyes, and he explained everything with no hesitations. His behavior made her realize how dangerous he was. He was a psychopath, and psychopaths didn't feel guilt.

"Do you think that killing them was the right thing to do?" Caroline asked him, trying to understand his psychology.

"I don't believe in the existence of right and wrong, love. Simply, there are things that have to be done." Klaus drank his coffee, and Caroline observed him. She tried to ignore her nausea, and she drank a small sip from her cup.

"I would have won the trial, even if you didn't kill that man." She immediately pointed out.

"Oh, sweetheart. Don't get me wrong, I never questioned your abilities as lawyer. I just wanted to be sure you would win. We wanted to buy that new car, remember? We needed more money." Klaus justified himself.

"You killed him, because you wanted a new car?" Caroline was perplexed.

"It is very expensive." Klaus kept saying, as it would make his actions less terrible. "Even more expensive than usual, since you asked for the beige leather seats." He pointed his finger at her. Then, he finished his coffee, but Caroline didn't. She kept observing all of his actions, studying his lack of guilt and empathy.

"Don't kill anyone else. Ever again. Do it for me." Caroline's one wasn't a request, but a command. Klaus pressed his lips, he didn't say anything to confirm to her he wouldn't kill again. He couldn't make such a promise, because he couldn't easily control himself. Caroline took his hand again and stared into his grey eyes.

"Please, don't make me take decisions I would never want to take." Caroline begged him. She didn't want to ask for divorce, and she didn't want to send him into prison. Suddenly, somebody knocked at the door. Klaus and Caroline looked toward it, wondering who it might be. It was early morning, and the first lights of the dawn lighted up the sky.

"Stay here." Klaus told her, and he walked toward the door. He looked through the window, before opening it. Two policemen were standing outside, on the porch.

"Good morning officers." He looked calm.

"Mr. Mikaelson?" They asked. Klaus nodded.

"It's me. Is there any problem?" Caroline didn't follow Klaus' wish, and she showed up by his side after she heard the brief conversation. The officers looked at her, only covered by her white towel.

"What's happening?" She asked.

"We received some calls. Apparently, your friends and family haven't heard from you in the last twenty four hours. We just wanted to make sure everything is fine. These mountains can be dangerous." Klaus internally took a breath of relief, and so did Caroline. The girl remembered her phone had died, and obviously she hadn't responded to any calls, since Klaus had kept her tied to bed all through the past day.

"Thank you for the interest, officers, but my wife and I are perfectly fine." Klaus faked one of his cunning smiles, then he noticed how the men were intensely looking at Caroline. Their eyes suggested they would gladly fuck her, which wasn't hard to believe. Klaus was proud of Caroline's beauty. He put his arm around her waist, and he pulled her closer to him, to tell them she was his property.

"If you don't mind, we would like to get back to bed." He insisted.

"What happened to your hand, sir?" One of the officers asked, seeing the scratches and the bruises on his right hand. The left one had the print of Caroline's teeth on its palm, but Klaus was keeping it hidden. He looked at his own hand, and he smiled again.

"Our cat is quite fierce." He lied. Caroline smiled, and she caressed Klaus' chest, remaining so close to him.

"Are you sure everything is Okay, Mrs. Mikaelson?" One of the men asked Caroline. She could tell them Klaus was a murderer who had drugged her and raped her, but she didn't. She kept protecting her husband, and her marriage.

"Yes, officer. We're fine. My phone died, and my husband and I were just trying to enjoy our honeymoon. You know, we're from the city. We would like to stay away from all the technology for a while and enjoy the fresh air." She lied with a smile on her lips. The officers nodded, and they both smiled at her. Apparently, she was way more convincing than Klaus. Or maybe she was only more attractive than him.

"Call us, if you ever need anything." Caroline nodded.

"Thank you so much, officer." She smiled again. Klaus tried to do the same, and he curved his lips in a nervous, fake smile. Once the officers returned to their car, he closed the door.

"You're a better liar than me." Klaus observed.

"I just put on my seductive smile." She said back, smiling. Then she grabbed her phone, and she looked for her charger. "Gosh, my mom will be so worried." Suddenly, she felt Klaus' presence behind her. Her husband was holding her tightly, and his arms were wrapping her almost naked body.

"No technology, you said." He reminded her in a slow whisper. His deep voice always made something happen between her legs, and she couldn't control it. Klaus' hand moved up along her inner thigh, and Klaus smirked as he felt her spreading her legs a little. Caroline sighed, but she suddenly closed her legs, trapping Klaus' hand between them.

"I need some fresh air." She said, and she walked away. Klaus didn't follow her. He let her go, and he observed her climbing the stairs to reach the bedroom. There, she put on some clothes and tied her wet hair up in a ponytail. She took her time, before walking toward the entrance door. She put her hand on the handle, and she gave her eyes to Klaus.

"Are you coming?" She asked him. Even though he had made some mistakes, she still wanted to be in his company. He nodded in response, and they left home together. Caroline decided which way to take, and they kept walking among the woods, embraced by the cold, morning breeze. The blue light around them was magical, and Caroline wouldn't be surprised if those woods were populated by little fairies and gnomes.

"You could've told those policemen the truth about what I've done to you, but you didn't." Klaus noticed, walking by her side, and putting his eyes on her profile.

"No, I didn't." Caroline confirmed. "You know how I feel about marriage. My parents divorced when I was very young, and it was horrible for me. I don't want to end up like them. This is why I will keep fighting for us." She explained him.

"But I'm a murderer. Protecting me makes you guilty as much as I am." Klaus kept saying. Caroline stopped walking, and she looked him in the eyes.

"I know what I'm doing, Klaus. I know all the risks. As much as I would love to hate you, I don't." She told him. He smirked, and he caressed her rosy, cold cheek. He told himself he was a lucky man. Not many women would be so desperately in love with a murderer. But Caroline was, and he was glad she was his wife.

"I love you." He told her. Caroline sighed. She hoped he truly did. She hoped he could feel such a positive feeling like love.

"I love you too." She responded. She returned walking along the narrow path among the high trees, and Klaus followed her. His eyes stared at her ass, covered by a pair of skinny shorts. Caroline was way too busy admiring the woods around her, to realize Klaus found her ass way more interesting than any beauty of nature. When she suddenly stopped, she looked behind herself.

"C'mon, don't be so slow! I feel like I'm walking alone!" She complained.

"I'm sorry, love. I like the view from here." He smirked. Caroline didn't understand what he was trying to say, or at least not immediately. When she did, she parted her lips a bit, and she gave a weak slap on Klaus' shoulder, making him laugh.

"Seriously, Klaus? I can't believe you're such a…" Caroline didn't complete her sentence, because Klaus pressed his lips against hers. She was so soft and sweet, his tongue would never get tired of tasting her. When he kissed her, he truly made her feel like she was completely his. His arms surrounded her body tightly, pressing it against his. Caroline could already feel the swelling bump in Klaus' pants, even though all the clothes still kept them apart from each other. She remained still for a while, until the passion made her hands move among his short curls. She responded to the kiss, and she waited for him to take her violently as he always did. Even though Klaus was sometimes extreme, she liked it. Maybe his mental sickness was contagious.

Klaus moved forward, and he never let her go, not even when his body pushed hers against a tree's trunk. Their kisses burnt of a flaming passion. He passed his hands beneath her shirt, and he massaged her big breasts. Her nipples were already hard. She expected him to rip her shirt in pieces, but he didn't. On the contrary, he made her turn, and Caroline found herself surrounding the tree with her own arms.

Klaus' body was pressed against hers. She could feel his hard chest touching her back, and his cock getting harder in his pants. Klaus grabbed the sides of her shorts, and he rashly pulled them down, along with her panties, leaving her ass exposed. Klaus' eyes were filled with lust, and he didn't waste a second before unbuttoning his jeans, revealing his pulsing cock when he pulled down his pants.

Caroline's nails left their sign on the wood, as Klaus pushed himself inside of her in a violent stroke. She moaned, and she curved her back a little in response. He gave her time to adjust herself at his notable size, while Caroline's breathing was already fast and her walls were getting wet with her fluid.

Klaus' hands on her hips pulled her closer and pushed her further, as he started a rhythm that became faster as the pleasure grew. Caroline moaned at every push, and Klaus growled close to her ear. Sometimes, he kissed and licked her neck, leaving rosy marks on her pale, fragile skin.

"You like it, don't you, love?" He smiled, seeing the pleasure on her face.

"Y-yes." She sighed, keeping the left side of her head against the trunk, and her nails pressed on it. Klaus smiled again in response, and he moved her ponytail on her opposite shoulder, to kiss her skin freely. He thought it was a pity that he hadn't brought the camera with him, because that was definitely a remarkable fuck.

One of his hands moved beneath her shirt, and he touched one of his breasts giving her a pleasing pain. His lack of empathy made it hard for him to be gentle in any of his moves, but Caroline didn't complain. She remained still, with her back slightly curved and her intimate parts exposed for him.

The pleasure grew, and they both felt like they needed more. Klaus' pushes became more aggressive, Caroline's moans got louder. Her nails sunk into the wood, they started to bleed, as she felt she was on the edge. When she finally reached the highest level of pleasure, her muscles relaxed and her walls contracted around Klaus' cock, making him come profusely inside of her after a few last pushes. He remained still inside of her, as their breathing became slower after the tension and the efforts. Caroline's look was lost, and she stared at an imprecise point among the trees. Klaus' head was placed against her back, almost as he was resting. When Caroline closed her eyes, she wondered why something so wrong had to feel so right.

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><p>A blonde girl dressed in black, elegant clothes was staring at the white board on which she had stuck photos and articles taken from newspapers. The pictures of the dead bodies of the lawyer, assassinated in his hotel room, and the tongue of the detective Alaric Saltzman were linked in a map that guided the blue eyes of the woman to the names she had written in red: Niklaus Mikaelson and Caroline Forbes.<p>

Camille O'Connell was the new detective in charge of the investigations of the deaths of the two victims, and she wasn't willing to fail as her predecessor, Alaric Saltzman, had done. The man had left interesting material about one of the suspects, Niklaus Mikaelson, and the young policeman who had been his partner till the end, Tyler Lockwood, had confirmed that the detective had been following and observing the lawyer's husband for weeks.

It wasn't clear which one of the two suspects was guilty, and since no evidences had been found yet, nobody could certainly know if they were guilty at all. However, Camille didn't like that Niklaus Mikaelson. His dark past didn't portray him as an innocuous one.

"You said the Mikaelsons left New Orleans for their honeymoon, right?" Camille asked, and guy dressed as a cop nodded in response. His name was Lorenzo, but everyone used to call him Enzo.

"Yes, ma'am." He responded in his strong British accent.

"Very well. Find them, watch them from a distance. I want you to keep an eye on them." Camille ordered him. Enzo nodded.

"Yes, ma'am." He repeated firmly.

"Lorenzo?" Camille called his name before he left her office. Enzo turned to look at the blonde detective.

"Be careful. I don't want to lose another one of my men." Her words made a smirk show up on his lips. He thought that no matter how dangerous that Niklaus Mikaelson might be, he was way more cunning than the idiot Alaric Saltzman. Also, Camille's interest toward him made him think that maybe the woman finally started to feel something for him. Something stronger and deeper than simple friendship. He nodded again, and then he left.

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><p><strong>Hello readers! I wanted to thank you for the huge response to the last chapter. I received more than 40 reviews and I wasn't expecting that! I'm super glad you let me know your thoughts. Some of you were pretty shocked by Klaus' attitude. He's very dark in this fanfiction, and he does wrong things. He abuses people - mentally and physically -, he manipulates and he kills. Even though there are reasons behind his madness, it's still unforgivable. <strong>

**I introduced two new characters: Camille and Enzo. I didn't like Camille when I watched TO (I found her boring, as many other characters in the show), but I still think the role of the detective fits her in this story. **

**Have you already watched Behind the veil trailer on youtube? Find it on my channel: **

**As usual, leave a REVIEW to let me know your thoughts! More reviews = faster update.**

**Ilaria.**


	9. IX chapter

******Warnings: the following story contains explicit and violent content. Don't read if you can't handle.******

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><p><strong>Behind the veil<strong>

_IX_

It was late in the morning when detective Camille O'Connell drove to Garden District to pay a visit to the Salvatore family. She was aware of the close relationship between the suspect Niklaus Mikaelson and his psychiatrist, Stefan Salvatore. By reading Klaus' medical records, Camille had come to know that he hadn't visited Stefan's office for two years. The most curious thing was that both Stefan's and Klaus' wives happened to be close friends.

The detective knocked at the door twice, after she walked across the neat garden before the porch. She waited outside and looked around herself. It was a quiet neighborhood. A few moments later, a little kid opened the door. Camille thought he was Matthew, Stefan's and Elena's first child.

"Hi, are your parents' home?" She asked with a polite smile. The kid nodded in response.

"Mommy?" He said out loud, calling for his mother. Elena came to the door, holding Rosy in her arms and keeping her phone between her shoulder and her ear.

"Wait a minute, I'll call you back." She murmured at the phone. "Matt, go play." Elena told her son, who ran away to return playing with his toys in the living room. When Mrs. Salvatore finally gave a look to the woman standing outside her door, she noticed she was wearing elegant clothes. Her straight blonde hair hung perfectly over her shoulders.

"Good morning Mrs. Salvatore. I am detective Camille O'Connell. I hope I'm not disturbing you." Camille's tone was still polite, which let Elena believe she wasn't there to accuse her of some terrible crimes. Yet, she was still worried. Having a detective at your door isn't the best way to start the day.

"No, absolutely. How can I help you?" Elena asked.

"I am looking for your husband. There's no need to worry, I am here to ask him some simple questions." Camille explained. Elena nodded.

"Sure. Come in." She said, wondering what the hell Stefan had been up to. Camille stepped in, and Elena guided her to the living room. Matthew was still playing, and the large amount of toys in the room made Camille smile. Elena climbed the stairs to reach Stefan's office, and she stepped in without knocking.

"Stefan? There's a detective in our living room. She wants to talk to you." She nervously murmured. Stefan appeared concerned. As he walked outside the office, Elena grabbed his arm to stop him. "What the hell is happening?" She asked him. Stefan shook his head in response.

"I don't know. Don't worry about it, alright?" He lied, and once he walked down the stairs he saw the blonde detective sitting on the sofa.

"Good morning Miss…" Stefan moved forward, realizing he didn't know her name. Camille stood up, to introduce herself.

"O'Connell. Nice to meet you, Doctor Salvatore." She extended him her hand, and he shook it. Elena went into the kitchen, and she prepared a tray with coffee and juice for the guest. From the room, she could still hear the conversation between her and Stefan.

"I am sure you are wondering why I am here." Camille started. Stefan didn't say anything back, he just sat in his armchair. "As you might already know, my team and I are investigating the murders of Mr. Tanner and the detective Alaric Saltzman. Apparently, one of our suspects happens to be a patient of yours." Camille extended to him a medical file. When Stefan opened it, he read Klaus' name. "Do you know this man?" Camille asked. Stefan nodded slowly, seeing Klaus' picture on the left side of the file. When Elena reached Stefan's side, after she put the tray on the table, her heart skipped a beat. Stefan had never told her Klaus was one of his patients.

"Niklaus Mikaelson is no longer my patient." Stefan informed the detective.

"I know. But the two of you didn't stop seeing each other." Camille said. Stefan nodded again. Elena was shocked, but she tried to remain calm. "How would you describe Niklaus Mikaelson, now that he's no longer a patient of yours?"

"He's a family friend." Stefan replied.

"A family friend? What do you mean, exactly?" Camille insisted.

"Niklaus married my wife's best friend some weeks ago. Yes, he was my patient, but we stopped our therapy when he met his wife, two years ago."

"And why did he start the therapy?" Camille's questions became more invasive.

"I'm afraid I can't publically release this information." Stefan said back.

"Was Niklaus Mikaelson mentally stable, when he decided to stop the therapy?"

"He was." Another lie left Stefan's mouth.

"Did he meet his current wife, Caroline Forbes, by chance, when he was your patient?" Stefan hesitated before answering the question.

"I don't know." Stefan lied again.

"Did he ever tell you anything about Caroline Forbes, when he was your patient?"

"No, never." He lied, once again.

"Did you met Niklaus Mikaelson on the nights of the fifteen of September and the tenth of October?" He had. Stefan had seen Klaus walking around the French Quarter the night of the lawyer's homicide, and he had met him in his office the night of the detective's murder. He couldn't admit it. So, he shook his head in response.

"No, I haven't." Elena's heart skipped another beat. She had seen Klaus in the French Quarter the night of the fifteen of September, and Stefan had seen him too. Why was her husband lying to the police?

"Mrs. Salvatore, would you like to say something?" Camille's answer made Elena's blood freeze in her veins. She hesitated, and the words didn't leave her mouth. Stefan hoped his wife would stay silent. If only Elena revealed to Camille the truth, Klaus would kill them all. He would kill their family without thinking twice about it. Elena shook her head.

"No." She answered, and Stefan internally took a breath of relief. Camille returned to smile, and she drank some juice from her glass.

"Then, I guess I'm done here. Thank you so much for giving me your time." The blonde detective smiled, and she stood up. Stefan did the same, and he shook Camille's hand one last time, to say goodbye. Elena guided her to the door, and once she shut it, she felt the tears in her eyes. She was terrified. She had just lied to the police, just to defend her husband. She was terrified, and furious. When she reached the living room, she took Matthew in her arms.

"What the hell just happened, Stefan? Why did we lie to the police? Why?" She shouted, crying.

"Elena, stay out of this."

"Klaus was your patient!" She shouted again. "And you never said a word about it! He was your patient, Stefan! You let my best friend marry a fucking psychopath!" She started breathing heavily, then she looked for her phone around the house, and Stefan followed her. "I must tell Caroline. She must know the truth…" Not only was she scared for herself, but she was also worried for Caroline. Her best friend was alone, in the middle of nowhere, with a psychopath. As if that wasn't enough, she hadn't been answering her phone for twenty four hours.

"Elena, stop." Stefan put his hand on her shoulders, trying to calm her down. Elena shook her head.

"You lied to me. You've been lying to me all along." She cried out.

"Elena!" Stefan repeated her name, to make her look him in the eyes. When she finally did it, he kept talking. "Do you love our children?" He asked her. Elena nodded, with fear in her eyes.

"Of course I love them."

"Then don't say a word about Niklaus Mikaelson."

* * *

><p>Caroline was enjoying the sunlight, sitting on the chair outside the porch. She was drinking green tea and she was wearing a bikini. Yes, she was in the middle of the Canadian Rockies, but she wanted to get a tan. She closed her eyes and heard the noises of the nature that surrounded her. That was her idea of heaven. After all those crazy days, she finally had time for herself. She had almost forgotten how it felt to be happy.<p>

When the leaves moved in a stronger rustle Caroline opened her eyes, she tried to glimpse something, or someone, hiding among the trees. She believed it was an animal. Murphy, who was sitting by her side, jumped down the chair to walk fast toward the woods.

"Murphy! Where are you going?" Caroline failed in her attempt to keep the cat from going. She told herself that maybe he had seen a bird he wanted to catch. She left the magazine she was reading on the chair and stood up to follow Murphy. She didn't want him to get in trouble.

"Murphy!" She kept calling his name as she entered the woods. That cat could disappear so easily, that sometimes it was hard to find him, even when he hid himself somewhere in the apartment of New Orleans.

"Oh, c'mon… come out kitty!" She sighed. Murphy was a smart cat, and Caroline knew he would find the way home, but those mountains could be dangerous.

"Looking for this little guy?" A masculine voice made her jump. She immediately turned to look at the man behind her. She had never seen him before, and judging by his accent he was British. He had a little smirk stuck on his face. He had just scared the hell out of her. Did he find it funny? On the bright side, he was holding her cat.

"Seriously? This is how you approach people? By appearing out of nowhere?" Caroline asked, waiting for her heart to return beating normally. The guy smiled again.

"I'm sorry. You looked pretty worried for your cat." Caroline sighed, and she extended her arms to hold Murphy.

"Thank you." She tried to be kind. After all, that guy hadn't done anything wrong. When Caroline looked at the camera he kept hung around his neck, the guy noticed her curiosity. "A photographer?" The blonde asked.

"Sort of." He smirked again. Caroline wondered what he was doing around her house, lost in the middle of nowhere. "My name is Enzo. And you are…" The cop acted like he didn't know he was speaking to one of the suspects.

"Caroline." She said back, and a kind smile made her soft lips curve.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl." His words made her blush. She glanced down, and she thought about how furious Klaus would get if only he heard their conversation.

"You're lucky my husband didn't hear you." She giggled.

"Is your husband that dangerous?" Enzo asked, maybe to get more information right from the main source. Caroline smiled, unaware of the man's real identity. She had always been way to naïve to suspect about people. That was why she had been sharing the bed with a serial killer for years, without even realizing it.

"Well, he gets jealous very easily." Caroline warned him. Klaus had always been irascible and possessive, when other men tried to get his girl. And yes, he was more dangerous than anyone might believe.

"With such a beautiful wife to keep safe from other men, it must be hard to sleep at night." Enzo's alluring personality kept teasing Caroline, who started to think the time had come for their little game to end.

"I should go now, Enzo. Thank you for your help." She politely smiled, and held Murphy tighter in her arms.

"Right. Let's not upset the jealous husband. I hope to see you again, Caroline." Caroline pressed her lips, and she walked away from him. If only Klaus knew about that Enzo, he would uproot every single tree in the Canadian Rockies, until he found him. He would probably kick his ass, or worse, cut his throat. Well, truth to be told Klaus wasn't the only jealous one between them. Caroline still remembered the anonymous call she had received some days before from the mysterious girl. Yet, asking Klaus about her would be a reckless move, and Caroline had no intention to ruin another day of their honeymoon.

"Where have you been?" Klaus' voice made her jump as she got in the house. He sounded suspicious, and terribly serious. Caroline put her eyes on him. He was wearing nothing but a white towel around his waist, and his hair were still wet. She smiled, not to give him any reason to be mad.

"Murphy had gotten lost in the woods. We should buy him one of those bells to put on his collar." She said, and she put the cat on the floor.

"Nonsense, sweetheart. Bells are for stupid cats." Klaus asserted.

"Well, if he ever gets lost again, it will be your fault." Caroline said.

"Who were you talking to?" Klaus' answer made Caroline's heart skip a beat. She hated that tone.

"What do you mean?" She kept doing her things, looking for objects in her bag, just not to look him in the eyes.

"I saw you talking to a man in the woods." Klaus insisted. His coldness made him sound dangerous. Caroline remained silent for a while, then she looked at his face, and she tried to stay calm. She didn't want to tease his nerves, because judging by the look in his dark, grey eyes, he was already nervous.

"He was just a photographer, Klaus. He found Murphy, he gave him back to me, and then I left." She explained. Every single muscle of her body was extremely tense. When, suddenly, Klaus' phone rang, Caroline began to breathe again. He took his phone, he read the name on the screen, and he answered. A smile was stuck on his face. He could change mood so easily.

"Stefan! To what do I owe the pleasure?" He exclaimed. Caroline remained still, listening.

"A detective has been here, Klaus. She asked questions about you and Caroline." Klaus' expression immediately changed, and Caroline frowned, seeing the look in his eyes becoming darker.

"Did you say anything?" He asked. Caroline started to get worried.

"Klaus, what's happening?" Klaus didn't answer her question.

"No. I lied for you." Stefan said.

"Good."

"If you come back to New Orleans, you might end up in trouble." Stefan warned him.

"Bullshit. They have no proof against me."

"Klaus, what is happening? Who are you talking to?" Caroline stepped closer.

"Gotta go, mate." When Klaus hung up the phone, he still didn't say a word to Caroline. He took his phone, he threw it on the kitchen's table, and he destroyed it by using the tip of a big knife. Caroline realized that something was wrong, and she told herself to stay strong, to be brave.

"Tell me what the fuck is happening! I'm talking to you!" She insisted, and she pushed Klaus once she got close enough, just to get a reaction. Klaus threw the knife against the floor, making Caroline jump, then he took her face in his hands.

"I need you to remain calm, sweetheart." He talked close to her lips.

"I am calm." She growled. "Now you tell me the truth, for God sake."

"They suspect me." Klaus told her. Caroline slightly parted her lips.

"But… they don't have any proof, right?" Caroline looked for comfort in Klaus' eyes. Klaus shook his head in response.

"They don't." Klaus guaranteed her.

"Good…" Caroline nodded, while Klaus' hands still caressed the sides of her beautiful face.

"Caroline, love?" He called her name, and Caroline put her blue, worried eyes in his.

"Yes?"

"I need a good lawyer." Klaus admitted. Caroline nodded again. Of course he needed a lawyer. When she realized she was a lawyer, she couldn't help herself from giggling. Then, she laughed, and she tried to stop herself by covering her lips with the back of her hand. She was desperate, yet she was laughing. Why that miserable situation suddenly seemed so funny? Klaus smirked, and he laughed along with his wife after a while. He was the main suspect of two homicides, and yet he looked calm.

"You already have one." Caroline guaranteed him in a sweet tone, and then she put both her arms around his neck. She held him tightly, and Klaus did the same, once his strong arms wrapped her thin body. Caroline put her fingers among his wet curls, and she closed her eyes. She promised to herself that she would fix the mess he had made. It was time to go back to New Orleans, and face the future.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey readers! I know this chapter was a little shorter than the others, but I didn't want to make it long and confusing. Some of you asked if the mysterious girl of the call will show up again, and she will (maybe in the next chapter). Stay tuned, because something you would never expect is about to happen. ;)<strong>

**Leave a REVIEW to let me know your thoughts! More reviews = faster update. **

**Ilaria.**


	10. X chapter

**Behind the veil**

_X_

_"Love is not love. Which alters when it alteration finds…"_

Caroline read the line again. It was from William Shakespeare. Her eyes were stuck on the book she held on her knees. The voice of her mind repeated the words over and over again. She loved Klaus, she loved him so much, that she couldn't hate him for the cruelty he had inside. She kept telling herself there was a reason behind his actions, and she wanted to know the truth about his past. She wanted to help him.

When she turned toward him, she looked at his profile. He was reading a magazine, just to distract himself while the hours passed slowly on the flight for New Orleans. When he realized he had his wife's look on him, he turned to gaze back at her. The sweet smile he gave her made Caroline's lips curve. He looked so innocent, when he wasn't angry.

"Is everything alright, love?" He asked her. Caroline nodded slowly.

"Yes." She said back. But was everything really alright? The truth was that she was afraid. Who wouldn't be? She was willing to risk everything for Klaus. She was willing to lose everything she had, just to protect him, no matter what. Was it love? Or was it just some sort of sick fear of losing the man who had been taking care of her for the last two years?

Caroline kept repeating those questions to herself while the days passed. Klaus never looked too nervous. He was calm, and the coldness he showed toward the possibility of being caught proved that he was a professional criminal. It was like he didn't care. He didn't pretend everything was fine, because he really thought everything was perfectly fine. Caroline tried to do the same, distracting her mind from all the negative thoughts, yet her body didn't help her. Lately, she didn't eat much, because he stomach was upside down.

"Klaus, the phone is ringing!" Caroline said out loud on a Thursday morning. She was cooking breakfast, something she didn't do very often, and she was trying to concentrate. "Klaus!" She shouted his name again, since she had gotten no answer. Klaus' silence made Caroline lose her patience. She growled in complaint and left the kitchen to answer the phone herself.

"Hello?" She sounded nervous. Nobody answered. "Hello?" She repeated again.

"Hello, I'm looking for Niklaus Mikaelson." A girl said, and Caroline immediately recognized that voice. She was the same girl who had called before they left for their honeymoon. The same tone, the same British accent. Caroline's jealousy grew instantly.

"And what is it that you want from my husband?" She asked.

"Please, let me talk to Nik." The girl begged her after a few moments of silence. Nik. How dared that stranger call him Nik?

"I won't let you talk to anybody if you don't tell me exactly who you are, and why you keep calling." Caroline tried to make her speak the truth, even though her patience was long gone.

"Okay. Meet me at the Roosevelt hotel at four o'clock." The voice said. Caroline frowned.

"Who are you?" She sounded confused. Why that girl wanted to meet her?

"I think it's time for us to have a talk." The girl didn't answer the question.

"How will I recognize you?" Caroline asked her, once she understood she wouldn't reveal her any information yet.

"Don't worry about it. See you later." The girl hung up the phone, and Caroline remained still for a brief while. Then, she saw the red little light flashing repeatedly on the phone. It meant somebody in the house had been listening to the call from another phone. When the light vanished, Caroline returned breathing. The utter silence around her was frightening, it almost made her believe she was home alone, but she wasn't.

"Klaus?" She called for her husband, and she went looking for him in every room. "Where the hell are you…?" She murmured, while she entered into the bedroom. The only second phone of the house was there, and Caroline frowned as she saw it was missing.

"Behind you." Klaus' voice made her jump. She turned toward him, suddenly, her heart beating fast.

"Fuck!" Caroline shouted, placing both her hands on her chest, which moved anytime she took a breath. Klaus started laughing.

"I'm sorry, love. I didn't mean to scare you." He apologized.

"Oh, really? Because I don't appear behind people's back when I don't mean to scare them!" She rebuked him. Klaus pressed his lips, and he got the look of a little, innocent kid. Caroline couldn't stay mad at him any longer. She rolled her eyes.

"Forgive me?" He asked.

"Fine." She sounded bothered. Klaus immediately returned to smile cunningly.

"Who were you talking to?" He suddenly made the question. Caroline took her time before answering. She didn't want to tell him all the truth, because that mysterious girl was looking for him, and she didn't know why. She wanted to meet her, before talking about it to Klaus.

"My mom. She wants to see me this afternoon." She lied. She was impressed: she was becoming a good liar. Klaus nodded.

"I see." He said back. Caroline saw something in his eyes, and the two of them shared a deep glance that lasted way too much to be just a simple look.

"Anyway, the phone here is missing. Have you seen it somewhere?" Caroline pointed her finger at the answering machine. Klaus walked around the bedroom, and he grabbed the missing phone once he found it on a shelf. An unusual position for a phone. It was Caroline's house, after all, and usually nothing was out of place.

"I think I left it here yesterday. My bad." Klaus put the phone at its place. Then, he walked closer to his wife. He smiled to her, and he put his arms around her waist once he got close enough. Caroline looked at his smiling face, and she smiled back, softly. Her hands pressed against his chest kept him a little distant.

"What is it?" She asked him.

"Nothing. I was just thinking you look more beautiful every day." He complimented her. Caroline glanced down, feeling flattered. Even though they had known each other for almost three years, and they were already married, every time Klaus told her something nice it was like the first time.

"Well, I hope you'll still think the same when I'm old and ugly." Caroline giggled.

"Nonsense, sweetheart, time won't make you ugly. And about the aging thing, I must admit I can already see some wrinkles..." Klaus looked carefully at her face, and Caroline laughed. She pressed her hands against his chest, almost as if she wanted to push him away.

"Seriously?" She laughed with him. Then, when Klaus' laugh turned into a simple smile, his hands moved from her back to her ass. Caroline felt the possessive touch of his fingers, and she stopped breathing.

"I hope you're in the mood, because I need my wife to show me some of her love." It was just a kind way to tell her he wanted to fuck her right there, in that precise moment. When he leant forward, to kiss her lips, Caroline turned her face on the other side. She avoided the contact of his lips against hers. Klaus stared at her. He was confused, upset.

"Actually, I'm not feeling well." She admitted in a soft whisper, without looking him in the eyes.

"What's wrong?" Klaus asked, concerned.

"Nothing important. I think it's just flu." Caroline didn't give importance to her symptoms. Klaus, on the other hand, became quite worried. He was always apprehensive. He put his hand on her forehead, to feel if she was warmer than usual. But her skin was cold as ice.

"You haven't been eating." He firmly asserted.

"It's because I'm not hungry." She said back.

"Caroline…" He pronounced her name, and he stared into her blue eyes once he grabbed her chin. "You don't have to be nervous. Nothing bad is going to happen. Trust me." He guaranteed her. Caroline tried to do as he said, to trust him. He kept repeating everything would be alright, but how could he be so sure of it?

"I wish it was easy." She murmured. The whole situation made her feel sick all the time.

"I know it's not, sweetheart. I know…" Klaus caressed the back of her head, sinking his fingers among her waved hair. She tried to smile, to pretend everything was fine. Or at least, to make Klaus stop worrying for her. She sighed, then she left a soft kiss on his full, kissable lips.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I just need to take a bath. Alone." Caroline said in a low, sweet tone. Klaus understood she didn't want him to follow her. He nodded in response, and he opened the arms he had been keeping closed around her body, to let her go. Caroline smiled one last time, before walking away from him, to sink her body into the bathtub filled with warm water. The silence helped her thinking. She freed her mind from any fear.

Caroline lied to Klaus when she left home. She drove to the Roosevelt hotel, and she arrived there some minutes before four o'clock. She looked around herself, and her eyes stopped on many people in the vain attempt to recognize the girl she had talked to through phone. She had no idea what the girl looked like. She sighed, and she decided to wait at the lounge bar. She drank a coffee and she smoked a cigarette to kill the anxiety. Usually, she didn't smoke.

"Caroline?" A feminine voice made Caroline turn. Suddenly, she saw a blonde, beautiful girl standing before her. Many thoughts came to her mind, and she even forgot to wonder how that girl could know her name. Her face was stunning. Her lips were full, her eyes were blue. Caroline thought that Klaus would love her. She began to be afraid. What if Klaus had betrayed her with that woman?

"Yes... yes, it's me." Caroline remembered to answer. The girl took a little breath of relief, and Caroline immediately left the cigarette she was smoking. Then, she stood up. Her eyes were still staring at the stranger's face, when she thought her features reminded her of someone she knew. "Who are you?" The answer left Caroline's mouth once again.

"I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Rebekah. Rebekah Mikaelson." Those words made Caroline's lips part slightly. She was Klaus' sister. Klaus had never told her he had a sister. He had never told her anything about her past. From Caroline's expression, Rebekah noticed she was shocked.

"Shall we sit?" Rebekah proposed, extending her arm toward the tables. Caroline simply nodded. When they sat, Caroline remained silent for another little while. She had so many questions, she didn't even know where to begin.

"I presume Klaus has never told you about me." Rebekah started. Caroline shook her head. The answers in Caroline's mind were countless. Did Rebekah know about Klaus' dark side? Did she know he had killed their mother? How had he killed her? And why?

"I'm his sister. He doesn't know I'm here. And, unless you told him about our meeting, he doesn't know I'm talking to you."

"I haven't told him." Caroline guaranteed her.

"Good, because he wouldn't be happy. He would get jealous, because you belong to him, and he doesn't like it when somebody tries to be friend with his friends." Caroline was surprised. Rebekah knew Klaus very well, and till now she had always believed she was the only one who understood her husband so well.

"Why did you want to meet me?" Caroline asked.

"Because I wanted to warn you about my brother's mental illness." Rebekah's words made Caroline heart skip a beat. "But since you married him, I presume you already know everything about him. Don't you?" Caroline glanced down. Her expression was tense.

"I know some things about him." She explained. She didn't like to face the truth. She didn't like to admit there were so many things she didn't know about her husband.

"But not everything." Rebekah added. Caroline shook her head. Suddenly, Rebekah placed her hand on Caroline's one. "I believe you're a beautiful person, Caroline. And I believe you need to be aware of the situation, because you deserve to know the truth. Then, you'll be free to decide what to do." Caroline nodded. She was ready to listen to whatever Rebekah had to tell her.

"I want to know everything." She firmly said, looking into Rebekah's eyes. Rebekah sighed, then she took something from her bag. She gave Caroline some old photos. Caroline took them, and she saw Klaus as a kid for the first time.

"Nik is my older brother, after Elijah. I was only a child when all the problems started, but I remember Nik's life has never been happy since childhood. I liked my brother, but he was different from any other kid of his age. He was violent, angry, and sadistic. Once, when I was five, he killed my dog by drowning him in the bathtub of our old house. He took pleasure from other people's suffering. Our parents never let a psychiatrist visit him, they didn't care. They just thought he was a naughty kid. But things changed for us when our father came back home one night, and he found out the truth. From what I can remember, our mother used to spend lots of time alone with Nik. When our father wasn't home, she locked herself into her bedroom with him, and she left the rest of us outside. When our father found out his wife betrayed him with his ten year old son, he beat Nik so hard we were afraid he would kill him. Next day, Nik took our father's gun and he shot our mother. He killed her. My brothers and I never told the truth about the homicide. We accused our father, who ended up in jail for the murder of his wife. Elijah, Nik, Kol and I spent the rest of our childhoods in an orphanage outside London. Then, Nik left England as soon as he could. He promised me he would come back for me once he found a job, but he never did. I haven't seen my brother for twelve years, now." Rebekah's revelation almost brought Caroline to tears. She had always imagined Klaus' past was sad, but she had never thought it could be so tragic. Now, everything seemed to be clearer. Klaus needed help.

"I…" Caroline tried to say something. "I'm sorry, I'm shocked." She admitted.

"I understand." Rebekah said. "Is he a good husband to you?" Caroline nodded in response.

"Klaus has all I was looking for in a man. We met each other in a café two years ago, and we got married some months ago." Rebekah smiled.

"I'm glad he finally found happiness."

"Rebekah… I'm sure he never came back just because he was afraid. It wasn't because of you. Perhaps, he just didn't want to remember all the bad things that happened in England." Caroline tried to cheer Rebekah up. She couldn't help herself, she always cared about other people's happiness. Rebekah smiled again.

"I hope it's like you say."

"Why don't you come over tonight? I'm sure he would be happy to see his sister after all this time. We could make him a surprise." Rebekah shook her head, even though she was glad Caroline still had that enthusiasm even after all she had told her.

"He would hate it." Caroline thought about it. Maybe Rebekah was right. Klaus was like cats: he hated any kind of sudden change. "Maybe you should simply talk to him, and then, if he wants to meet me, we'll see each other again." Caroline nodded in agreement. She told herself the time had come for them to face the truth, and finally talk about it.

"Thank you for telling me the truth. And I'm sorry, I've been rude to you. I thought you were Klaus' secret lover, not his sister." Caroline felt so stupid while she apologized for her behavior. Rebekah laughed.

"I'm glad my brother's wife doesn't hate me."

"Shall we drink something?" Caroline asked to Rebekah, who smiled again. Just because she was Klaus' sister, it didn't mean she couldn't also be her friend.

"Sure."

* * *

><p>It was evening, when Caroline came back home. She still had to think about a good way to tell Klaus that she knew everything, and that his sister was in the city. She couldn't know how he would react, if he would get angry or if the wall he had created to protect himself from the pain would crash down suddenly. When she stepped into the apartment, she took Murphy in her arms to say hi.<p>

"Klaus, I'm home." She told him, and she left her bag on the couch. When she put Murphy back on the floor, Klaus appeared out of nowhere.

"I see you had a long conversation with your mother." He told her, since the sun was no longer up in the sky and it was almost dinner time. Caroline felt trapped. She asked herself what she should say.

"Yes, I did." She lied. Why was it so hard to tell the truth? Klaus smiled. Something in that smirk told her he knew something.

"I'm cooking dinner. I hope you're hungry." She wasn't hungry, and her sickness was still tormenting her, but she would eat because she had to put something in her stomach to remain alive. She smiled, and she stepped closer to leave an innocent kiss on her husband's lips. Klaus tasted her lips, and he frowned, keeping his eyes closed.

"Did you drink alcohol?" He asked. Caroline's heart started beating faster.

"Mhh… no. I mean yes, just a Martini." She mumbled.

"Weren't you feeling sick?" He asked again. Caroline didn't say anything back, because Klaus put his nose closer to her hair.

"Have you started smoking?" He asked. It was hard to keep any secrets from him, because he would find out, somehow.

"It was just a cigarette." Caroline said. Then, she smiled, and she put her arms around Klaus' neck. "Am I not allowed to smoke, daddy?" She giggled. Klaus smirked, feeling aroused by her sweetness and the way she called him.

"For how long are we going to pretend I'm a fucking idiot who doesn't realize his sweet wife is telling him a bunch of bullshits, Caroline?" The smile faded from Caroline's face as she realized he knew she was lying. Her arms were still around his neck, and Klaus was still holding her tightly, but she was nervous.

"Klaus, I…" Caroline tried to pronounce some words that didn't leave her mouth.

"You what?" He wanted her to talk, but Caroline avoided his look. Klaus let her go, and he nervously walked around the room. "I told you all my secrets and you keep lying to me." He accused her, as he stopped walking. He pointed his finger at her, and Caroline felt attacked.

"Oh, really? Because I'm pretty sure you never told me anything about you!" She responded. Klaus pressed his lips, and he raised his chin in a proud, but hurt expression.

"What are you saying?" He asked her. Caroline sighed. That wasn't how she had imagined she would talk to him about something so delicate, but that was how things worked between them. They fought constantly.

"I'm saying that you've never told me you have a sister, Klaus! You've never told me your mother…" Caroline stopped before she said other words she would regret. She immediately felt guilty, when she saw the fear in Klaus' eyes. He had never talked about his past, because he was ashamed, and because admitting he had a problem was harder than pretending everything was fine. Caroline knew it well. Klaus' silence made Caroline feel even worse, and when he turned and gave his back at her, she took a step ahead. Somehow, she wanted to cheer him up, but she didn't know how to do it. Maybe he just wanted to be left alone.

"Klaus, I'm sorry…" She murmured. He remained silent. His look was stuck on an imprecise point of the floor while memories from his past hit him like sharpened knives. When he felt Caroline's hand touching his shoulder, his breath stopped in his throat. Caroline felt the tension in his muscles.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you." Caroline kept saying.

"You had no right to talk to my sister." Klaus growled, suddenly. Caroline felt guilty, as Klaus' fear turned into wrath. He turned, to look at her, and she saw tears in his grey eyes. Klaus didn't cry often. Truth to be told, she had seen him crying once or twice in almost three years. He always looked so cold.

"I'm sorry." Caroline whispered. "I thought I might be able to help you." She tried to justify her actions.

"How?" He asked, getting closer to her face.

"I don't know, maybe you would feel better if we talked about it."

"Talk about how my mother fucked me when my father wasn't home? And how he beat the hell out of me when he found out his wife was a damn bitch? I'm talking about it and I'm not feeling better." His anger was the result of fear and shame. Caroline kept her glance down while Klaus growled at some inches from her face. There was nothing she could do or say in her defence.

"You knew I was going to meet Rebekah, didn't you?" She suddenly asked after some moments of silence in which Klaus kept walking around. "The phone was missing. You heard our conversation."

"Of course I did. Do you think I'm dumb?" Klaus said back.

"You didn't stop me from going." Caroline kept saying. "You wanted me to know the truth, and letting someone else tell me the whole story was easier for you." Klaus didn't deny it.

"Maybe you're right." He simply said, and he sat on the couch raising his arms a little bit before putting them back on his legs. Caroline took a deep breath, then she sat by his side. She didn't say anything, she just looked at his face. Klaus was still avoiding her look. She curled up by his side, and her arms surrounded his left one. She put her head against his shoulder, showing him her gentleness to make him stop being angry.

"Look at me." She said. Klaus didn't move, so her fingers took his chin to make him turn his face.  
>"I didn't mean to make you sad." She whispered while she looked into his eyes. "Do you think you can forgive me?" She talked with kindness in her tone. Klaus didn't respond, but he glanced down again and Caroline saw a tear streaming down his cheek as he closed his eyes. So she leant forward, and she left a kiss on the side of his face. Klaus slowly turned toward her, to let her kiss his lips, softly. Their foreheads touched, and they stayed still. Feeling each other's breath crushing softly on their lips, and the warmth of each other's skin touching was comforting enough, and no words were needed.<p>

"You forgave me for many worse things." Klaus finally said, in the end. Caroline pressed her lips.

"I did it because I love you, but you must promise me you will behave." She waited for him to renew the promise he had already made.

"I'll be a better husband, sweetheart." He guaranteed her. His tone was sweet, and he sounded so docile, it was hard to believe he had committed horrible crimes.

"No, you'll be a better person." Caroline told him. "I know there is good in you, I've seen it. You don't have to be evil, just because bad people did something evil to you." She never took her eyes off him, until he nodded in agreement. Then, she kissed him again, placing both of her hands on the sides of his face, touching the short beard that made his cheeks a little more rough.

Klaus closed his eyes, and he remained still. He didn't immediately respond to the kiss, he waited. He felt Caroline's taste in his mouth. He felt loved by the touch of her hands. He was overwhelmed by the gentleness in every single move she made. When he finally opened his lips a little more, his tongue began to guide hers. His hands placed on her ass pushed Caroline toward him, until the girl sat on his lap with her legs astride.

Caroline's fingers stopped on Klaus' shoulders, while his hand tried to get inside her tight jeans from behind. Caroline wasn't helping him in the vain attempt to control his impulses, indeed she began to rub herself against him, and she chuckled as she felt his pulsing cock pressing against the zip of his jeans. She let him suffer a little more, and she increased the sufferance by taking off her own shirt. Her almost-utterly exposed breasts were still covered by the black lace bra that seemed to be too tight for her size.

Klaus began to kiss her neck, then his lips reached her chest, and in the end they arrived on his woman's sweet curves. The bra's straps fell along Caroline's arms, and Klaus pulled one of them so hard, that he ripped it apart.

"That was brand new." Caroline seemed sorry about the bra, but Klaus couldn't care less. However, his kisses distracted her well enough to make her forget about it soon.

"Such a pity." He responded. When, suddenly, he grabbed a great amount of Caroline's blonde hair in his hand, he pushed her away by holding her locks roughly. She cried out, even though the pain soon became masochist pain. She found herself lying on the couch, with her legs already parted, ready to receive Klaus between them.

"Take off your shirt." She demanded in a whisper, and she raised her chest to help him getting rid of the shirt. Once his bare, hard chest was revealed, Klaus pushed Caroline back along the couch on which she returned lying quietly. He unbuttoned her jeans, and he made them slide down her legs in haste. He did the same thing with her pink panties. They made her look more innocent than she actually was. Caroline closed her legs with a shy, but naughty smile on her face, and she bent them a little, bringing her knees closer to her bust.

In the meantime Klaus unbuttoned his jeans, and it helped easing the suffering. He smirked as he saw his wife playing with him, faking a pure innocence she didn't own anymore. Klaus had seen her naked countless times, and he already knew every inch of her beautiful, arousing body. He knew her so well, he could draw her by using nothing but his memory.

He put his hands on her knees, and he used a bit of his strength to make Caroline open them for him. When she gave him enough space, Klaus lowered down on her body. Caroline put her fingers among his soft, curly hair, while he kissed her still covered breasts. He pulled the bra down, harshly, and only Caroline's gentleness helped him getting rid of the last piece of clothing she wore.

She remained utterly naked, and she shared Klaus' same lust as the man touched and kissed every inch of her soft skin. Her body was his, and his body was hers. Caroline finally felt free to be herself, and she had no fear inside of her. She trusted Klaus a little more, now that all his darkest secrets had been revealed. Somehow, she was no longer afraid he could hurt her. Obviously he was unpredictable and dangerous, almost like a fierce animal, but he was her man. Knowing that she had some sort of influence over him, made her feel more powerful. Taming a quite puppy was easy, but nobody could say the same thing about taming a lion. The mindless need of testing herself constantly was, perhaps, what made Caroline stay and try again with Klaus.

Her sharpen nails were passing dangerously over his bare back. He had many scars of the scratches she left on his skin during their moments of passion. When, finally, Klaus ended their endless waiting by shoving his cock inside of her, Caroline moaned briefly and without control. Klaus didn't move, and he established a deep eye contact with Caroline. Their lips were parted, and they were so close that their breathing became a single breath, just as their joined bodies.

Caroline had time to adjust herself to Klaus' size, and this time she felt no pain when he started a slow, intense rhythm that made their pleasure increase second by second. The blonde's arms were wrapped around Klaus' neck, and he kept kissing, biting and licking her lips just to taste her and amuse her. Even though sometimes he fucked her like a brutal animal who didn't know kindness and patience, he was a careful lover when he was calm. However, it didn't happen that often, and when it happened, they both realized how deep their love was, and how hard it would be for them to be apart. Despite their differences, they were meant for each other.

Klaus satisfied his hunger of lust and pleasure by pushing himself deeper inside of Caroline, until he made her feel whole. He was on the edge when her louder moans made his pride grow.

"Klaus…" A broken whisper interrupted the silence, as she pronounced his name when all her muscles contracted, and then relaxed. Klaus kept going until his dense release filled her, mixing up with her sweet fluid. Caroline's eyes were still closed, when she surrounded Klaus' leg with her own. Klaus remained inside of her, with his jeans pulled down that left part of his ass uncovered. Caroline bit his cheek, softly, before he could hide his face between her neck and shoulder, as he often did. He liked enjoying all Caroline's maternal cares, and remaining so close to her to feel the warmth of her body. It made him feel safe.

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><p><strong>Hey guys! Now you know everything about the mysterious girl's identity, and I hope you're happy to have Rebekah in the story! Klaus and Rebekah will meet again soon, even if I don't know exactly when since lots of things will happen to Klaus and Caroline in the next chapters. So I'll have to find a way to give Klaus and Rebekah the attention they deserve. <strong>

**Finally, Caroline knows Klaus' most private and important secret. Now she wants to help/protect him more than ever before. **

**Enzo and Camille will appear again in the next chapter. Something important (and sad) is about to happen and it will change many things about the story.**

**Please REVIEW for a faster update. :)**

**Ilaria.**


	11. XI chapter

**Behind the veil**

_XI_

An annoying, repetitive sound reached Caroline's ears and mind, until the blonde's sleep got interrupted. The doorbell was ringing. When she opened her eyes, it was morning. She found herself lying on Klaus. Literally. Her head was placed on his bare chest, and he was still sleeping utterly naked under the weight of her body. She raised her head, and, confused, she looked around herself. They were in bed, and a white sheet covered their nudity. The doorbell didn't stop ringing. Whoever it was, he hadn't been invited.

"Wake up." Caroline shook Klaus as she stood up and grabbed the first clothes she found. She wore panties, a pair of shorts and one of Klaus' shirts. They were everywhere and their color never changed. Black or grey. Klaus never wore different shades. Her husband muttered something she didn't understand, and he turned to lay on his left side, so that the sunlight didn't reach his face.

"Klaus!" Caroline called his name out loud. Klaus finally opened his eyes. He didn't look pleased.

"What?" He murmured.

"There's somebody at the door." Caroline looked worried. Usually, they didn't receive unexpected visits. They didn't have any intrusive neighbors, and Caroline was pretty sure that her friends would call, before showing up at her door so early in the morning. Klaus suddenly woke up for good. His eyes stared at the bedroom door, briefly, until the doorbell rang again.

"Stay here." He ordered her. Quickly, he donned his pants, a shirt and the jeans he had left on the chair by the bed the night before. His curly hair were still messy as he walked through the living room on the way to the door. Then he opened it, and he did it without any hesitation. He returned calm, resolute, cold as usual. A girl appeared before his grey eyes. She was blonde, with green eyes, dressed up in formal, black clothes. Behind her, two guys stood still. They were policemen. They didn't look friendly. Klaus recognized one of them, his name was Tyler Lockwood. They had already met each other, when Alaric Saltzman had come into his house the first time. About the woman, Klaus knew exactly her name. He hated the fucking bitch.

"Yes?" He acted as he didn't know who they were, or why they were outside his house.

"Niklaus Mikaelson?" The woman asked in a firm tone.

"It's me. Is there any problem?" He kept playing his part.

"Niklaus Mikaelson, I'm arresting you on suspicion of the murders of Mark Tanner and Alaric Saltzman." As she pronounced those words, the two policemen stepped into the apartment, and Klaus didn't try to react violently while they handcuffed him. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney now and at any further point of questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney the state will provide one for you. Do you understand your rights?" Camille proceeded in her speech. A psychotic smirk was stuck on Klaus' lips, which suggested to the detective that he didn't understand what she was saying. He was lost. He was thinking about something she could only imagine. He was thinking about all the ways he could tear every one of her limbs apart, until she would be dead.

"Klaus?" Suddenly, Caroline showed up. Her heart skipped a beat, as she saw the handcuffs around Klaus' wrists.

"What are you doing?" She asked in stupor and concern.

"Take your hands off him. I am his lawyer." She growled at the two cops. Suddenly, she recognized one of them. He was the man she had met in the woods, in Canada. What the fuck. She thought in stupor. He was a bloody spy, and she hadn't realized it.

"You…" She growled, once again. Lorenzo smirked.

"Hello gorgeous." He teased her. Klaus felt his blood boiling in his veins. Suddenly, the psychotic smile faded from his face. The look in eyes became darker, his features became tenser. He glared at the cop, and he moved forward, threateningly.

"Mind your fucking language asshole, you're speaking to my wife." He threatened him. Enzo laughed. Camille looked annoyed. Caroline was pissed, and she didn't want to let Klaus do anything stupid. The other cop stopped Klaus from taking another step, and Caroline stepped between him and Enzo.

"Klaus." She called his name, and she took his face in her hands. Once he met her serious glance, she made sure he got the message. Don't do anything stupid.

"Mrs. Mikaelson, you said you are Niklaus Mikaelson's lawyer. You must follow us to the police station." Camille intervened. Caroline looked at the woman, she pressed her lips, and she nodded.

"May I have a few minutes to wear a proper dress?" Caroline asked. Klaus didn't stop glaring at Enzo, who, on the other hand, responded with teasing smiles. The tension in the air was thick.

"Sure." Camille accepted Caroline's demand. Caroline didn't waste time. She wore the black skirt of her suit, a white shirt and a black, fine jacket that gave her an austere, but charming tone. She brushed her hair, tying up in a simple ponytail. In the police car, she and Klaus didn't speak. Caroline took a little mirror from her purse, and she started passing the tip of her lipstick on her lips. Klaus was sitting by her left side, and Enzo was on her right. She was in the middle, and she felt like she was the only thing that was keeping the men from fighting. Camille occupied the passenger seat, while the second cop was driving toward the biggest police station in the city. Once they got there, the cops took Klaus in. Camille guided them toward the interview room, and Caroline followed them.  
>The interview room was pretty much empty. A metallic table was placed in the middle of it, and there were enough chairs to let Klaus, Caroline and Camille take their seats. Enzo stood behind Camille, who sat before Klaus and Caroline. She could see them from the opposite side of the table. The walls were grey, or maybe a little green. One of the walls was replaced by a black mirror. Which meant, somebody could be behind it, watching.<p>

"The interview is being monitored. Anything you say or do will be captured by the cameras you can see in the room." Camille told Klaus, who never took his eyes off the woman, not even to take a look at the cameras. Camille wasn't frightened. Or at least, she was trying not to show any feeling. "Tell me, Mr. Mikaelson, where were you on the nights of the fifteen of September and the tenth of October?" The detective asked the first question. Caroline tried to hide her anxiety. She could feel Enzo's eyes on her, and she hated it. Klaus took his time before answering. He was still smiling.

"I was home." He responded.

"You sound pretty sure. We're in November. It's not that easy to remember exactly what you were doing two months ago." Camille immediately intervened. Klaus tried not to chuckle.

"I don't go anywhere at night." He simply said.

"Did you personally know Mr. Tanner and Alaric Saltzman?"

"I've never met the lawyer. About the detective… I've seen him once or twice." He responded.

"Would you tell me when and where you met Alaric Saltzman?" Klaus thought about it for a few, brief moments. He sighed, looking at an imprecise point of the ceiling while he acted as someone who makes an effort to remember.

"The first time he came to my apartment, he wanted to ask my wife some questions about the lawyer's death. They talked in my wife's office, and then he left. The second time he returned he didn't find my wife at home. I told him he could wait for her if he wanted, but he decided to leave before she came back." He explained.

"What did Alaric Saltzman tell you when you met for the second time?" Klaus sighed again before the answer. He shook his head.

"Nothing I can remember." He responded.

"Alaric Saltzman had researched you, and I think that is why he visited your apartment the second time. I don't believe he was interested in talking to your wife. On the contrary, he had some interest toward you. Do you have any idea of the reason why he suspected you for the murder of Mr. Tanner?"

"Probably because media said I killed a woman at the age of ten." Klaus didn't hesitate before talking about his past. Not this time. He looked cold, as usual, almost as he hadn't been victim of any of his parent's abuse. Almost as he didn't care. But deep down, he cared, and Caroline knew it well.

"Did you kill your mother at the age of ten?" Suddenly Camille asked. Caroline felt something inside, something that made her intervene.

"My client is here to respond to the accusation of the suspicion of the murders of Mark Tanner and Alaric Saltzman. I won't allow you to ask questions about a case that was archived fifteen years ago." She had to protect him, and she would do whatever she could for him. Camille didn't try again to return to Esther Mikaelson's case.

"Talk me about your relationship with Doctor Stefan Salvatore. I know you have been his patient for several years." Suddenly, Camille said something that made Caroline's breath stop in her throat. She tried not to look surprised, while thousands of questions came to her mind. What did it mean? Why Klaus had never told her about his therapy? Why Stefan had never revealed the truth? Klaus glanced down. He didn't look at Caroline, even though he wanted to. Camille realized there was something going on between the two of them. Suddenly, Caroline looked upset, disappointed. Klaus sighed before answering.

"I've been Stefan's patient for some time. We stopped the therapy two years ago." He explained. Caroline tried to hold back the tears. She couldn't cry. She couldn't do it now.

"Did you stop the therapy before you met your wife?" Camille asked the question that Caroline was asking herself, in her mind.

"No. I stopped the therapy some weeks after I met my actual wife." Klaus kept his glance down. Now, he was nervous.

"Had Doctor Salvatore gave you any prescription during your therapy?"

"Yes."

"Did you stop taking your medicines after you stopped the therapy?"

"Yes." Klaus kept his head down. Camille stopped asking questions. When she stood up, she took the files she had brought with her in the interview room.

"We're done. Somebody will take your fingerprints and your DNA. After that, you'll be set free. We'll keep watching you, Mikaelson." Camille left the room, and Enzo followed her outside, where the woman let go all the tension she had hid through the interview. She was upset, mad. If only she had any kind of evidence that proved Klaus' guilt, everything would be finally over. But there was no evidence. Not one bit. It was like that murderer knew exactly what he was doing.

Klaus and Caroline remained silent in the interview room. When he looked at her, he saw a tear streaming down her cheek. She immediately passed the back of her hand on her cheek to hide her sorrow. She couldn't say, or do anything. That wasn't the right place to talk about their problems. Somebody was still watching them, probably.

"Caroline…" Klaus tried to say.

"Not here." She immediately interrupted him. Then, she looked at him. She appeared deeply disappointed. Every time she thought she knew everything about Klaus, a new secret came out of nowhere, and everything got even more confusing than before. How many secrets could a single man hide?

* * *

><p>When they came back home, Caroline left her bag on the couch. They hadn't talked on the way home, and the silence in the cab had become so tense, that Caroline had started smoking another cigarette. She wasn't feeling well. She wasn't feeling well at all. She felt the need to puke, and she didn't know if it was the smoke, the tension, or the disappointment. She just knew it was hard to bear the situation she was trying to control. When Klaus put his hands on her shoulders, while they were both standing in the middle of the living room, she tried not to shout at him, guided by her wrath. So, she closed her eyes, and she took a deep breath.<p>

"You should have told me." She said.

"I know." Klaus didn't try to justify himself.

"But you didn't trust me enough, right?" She asked, sceptically. Klaus sighed. When she turned toward him, she looked him right in the eyes.

"Did Stefan know about us when you were his patient?" Another question left her mouth. Klaus didn't do anything to hide the truth, this time. He took another breath, before answering.

"When I saw you the first time you were with Elena. I knew her, I knew Stefan and she had a thing, but I didn't know you. So I followed you for days, anywhere you went. When I started asking questions about you, Stefan tried to tell me to stay away from you. Even though he never told me the truth, I believe he thought I would ruin you. I was just one of his patients, just another one of the many psychopaths he met daily. But I needed you. I wanted you, and I wasn't ready to give up so easily. So I convinced him into helping me. When we met for the first time at the café, you were waiting for Elena. She never came, because Stefan didn't let her. I was there, because I knew you would be there. So I kept you company, and I took the chance to know you." Klaus explained. Caroline listened carefully. The truth was so different from anything she had been believing for almost three years. She hadn't met Klaus casually. She had met him because he had chosen her. She didn't know how to feel about that. Perhaps, she should be proud, or maybe just disappointed for another one of his many lies.

"Is there anything else I should know?" She simply asked in a weak whisper. Klaus shook his head. "Now, I would like to be left alone." She didn't give him any other explanation. She left the living room, to lock herself in their bedroom. Maybe she just needed sleep to feel better.

Caroline didn't even eat. She felt sick. No matter how many times Klaus insisted. She slept the whole afternoon, she felt weak. When the dark came, Klaus got in bed with her. He hugged her. His arms surrounded her body, while she was lying on her left side, and she gave him her back.

"You should eat something, sweetheart." He tried to tell her. She immediately shook her head. Her eyes were closed, but she wasn't sleeping.

"I am freezing." She murmured. Klaus held her tighter to warm her up. She was warm, maybe a little too much. She was sweating, and little drops of sweat made her forehead look brighter.

"How are you feeling?" He sounded concerned.

"My stomach hurts and I threw up. I think I have flu." Caroline explained her weakness.

"You should at least drink." Klaus insisted. Caroline shook her head once again. She didn't want to put anything in her stomach, not even medicines.

"I just want to sleep with you. Tomorrow I'll be fine." Caroline was stubborn, and Klaus wouldn't be able to change her mind. So, he did as she wished. He slept with her, keeping her safe in his arms, trying not to make her feel cold. It was late night when Caroline woke up again, feeling something warm between her legs. She moved in the bed, and with her hands she touched the blankets. They were wet, and even though she couldn't see through the dark, she was pretty sure that thing that stained her fingers wasn't water. She immediately turned the light on, and she saw all the blood. Her heart started beating faster. She stood up, and she made sure she had no bleeding wounds on her body. But it was her blood, of that was sure. She got to the bathroom, she washed her hands, and she realized she was still losing blood between her legs. It wasn't her period, it couldn't be, because she took a birth control pill and she knew exactly when her period would start.

"Shit." She whispered, then she reached the bedroom again, to wake up Klaus. "Klaus." She shook him, and he immediately opened his eyes. It was like he was ready to do something, because he was always pretty worried when Caroline was sick. He was so worried, that he couldn't even sleep at night.

"What…" He noticed the blood on her side of the bed, then he saw the red stain on the shorts she used to sleep.

"I don't know what's happening." Caroline told him. She didn't sound scared. She wasn't scared, because she couldn't feel pain. She was weak, of course, and losing blood after a whole day without touching food made her weaker, but she wasn't suffering.

"Alright, I'm taking you to the hospital." Klaus got out of bed and quickly changed his shirt.

"I don't want to go to the hospital." Caroline complained as a little kid. She hated hospitals. She hated their smell.

"I don't care. We'll go to the hospital anyway." Klaus was inflexible. He took some clean clothes for her, and he helped her wearing them. Caroline used a tampon to stop the bleeding. Right before they left home, a sudden pain hit her stomach, and the stab made her bend a little. She moaned.

"What?" Klaus immediately helped her standing still.

"Nothing, it's just… my stomach hurts." She wished she could calm Klaus down, but somehow he was more nervous than her. They reached the car, and the abdominal pain increased while Klaus drove toward the nearest hospital. Caroline was confused, still tired, and… terribly hungry. Klaus helped her standing on her feet while they walked toward the hospital's entrance. He stopped a nurse to tell her his wife was bleeding. A doctor immediately took care of Caroline, who never let Klaus leave her alone. Klaus himself would never leave. He sat on the chair by the small bed on which his wife was lying, and he held her hand all through the medical examination.

"What method of contraception are you using?" The doctor asked while he checked Caroline's uterus by the images on the monitor. A cold, jelly substance was all over the lower part of her flat stomach. Caroline frowned.

"I use a birth control pill." She said.

"Are you sure you to use it effectively?" The doctor's question got her insecure. Perhaps, she didn't use it effectively. Perhaps something had gone wrong.

"I… I think so." She murmured.

"What is happening to my wife?" Klaus directly asked, looking for clear answers to his questions.

"Mrs. Mikaelson, I am sorry to tell you, you had a miscarriage. We can't know what caused it, but it's a very common event in many women's lives. We know for sure it is rarely caused by something the pregnant woman did. Probably, a genetic problem didn't let the embryo develop. I am sorry for your loss." Caroline couldn't be more confused. She wondered how it could be possible. She couldn't be sorry, she couldn't be sad, because she hadn't known she was pregnant until that moment. She was trying to remember, to give answers to her questions, while Klaus stared at an imprecise point of the floor. He knew exactly when it had happened. The doctor left the room, after he told them he would give them some time to remain alone. The silence prevailed for a while, until Caroline realized. She hadn't taken her birth control pill the day in which Klaus had tied her to the bed, drugged her, and taken her against her will while she was unconscious. She hadn't taken it, because he had put her to sleep. They had had sex twice while she had been unprotected.

"I had no idea, I… I smoked cigarettes and I drank alcohol. I worked…" Caroline started to make a list of all the things she had done, and a pregnant woman shouldn't do. Klaus, on the other hand, knew it was all his fault. He had gotten her pregnant, and he had put her in a dangerous, stressful situation since the very beginning.

"It's not your fault. You've heard what the doctor said, love. You couldn't control it."

"Of course I could control it. If only I knew it." Caroline didn't believe to the theory of the genetic problem. Klaus sighed, then he looked at her. She looked lost in her own thoughts.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her. Caroline shook her head, slowly, in confusion.

"I'm not feeling." She admitted while her eyes stared at an imprecise point before her. "And I'm feeling bad for not being able to feel anything. Maybe I should be crying."

"Well, it's a good thing you're not crying." Caroline nodded again in response to Klaus' words. He was right. It was a good thing.

"I'd like to go home, now. I'd like to eat breakfast." Her soft whisper interrupted the silence. Klaus could see how lost she was. Maybe not feeling anything was even worse than feeling pain. He couldn't do anything, but try to make her happy by fulfilling her wishes. He stood up, and he left a sweet, slow kiss on her forehead.

"I'll ask the doctor if we can leave, and then I'll make you breakfast." He said. Caroline nodded. She had only one single wish, at the moment: she wanted to go home, where she could curl up in her own bed, and take some time for herself to think.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys, I hope you're not too mad at me! Some nice, happy klaroline moments will come soon, I promise!<strong>

**Also, I started writing a new Klaroline fanfiction called "The last winter", it's dark and you should read it! ;)**

**REVIEW to let me know your thoughts. :)**

**Ilaria.**


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